Reckon on the Photograph
by Writing Ficariously
Summary: A picture can tell an entire story. Every shadow of light, every angle, every pose has a meaning. Written for The Twilight 25. See individual stories for ratings.
1. Like to Stay

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow them for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 5  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

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**Like to Stay  
**_How can he make a promise when he doesn't know if it can be kept?_

She watched him during the family dinner, smiling when tiny lines formed at the corners of his eyes when he laughed, holding back tears when his mouth fell slack with worry. It was early in the day, too early to be eating, but Bella had asked Edward for more time alone that night, a request he had promised to grant to the best of his ability. His eyes had been soft when he kissed her earlier that day and said the family would be there at 4:30, an hour and a half before the original start time.

"Hey," Rosalie called to her quietly. A perfectly manicured hand rested on her arm and Bella looked up at her. "It will be okay."

With a swallow of the worry plaguing her mind, Bella gave her a forced smile before she picked up the large bowl of salad. She felt Edward's eyes on her the second she walked into the dining room. Changing her course slightly, she walked behind his chair to drop a kiss into his hair where the newly shorn cut tickled her lips, before she found a place to set the bowl amidst the other food.

Dinner was quieter than usual. Edward's impending departure hung heavy over the occupants of the dining table despite attempts to lighten the mood. When the silent tension became too much for Bella, she stood, but stilled when a soft sob sounded from the other end of the table. Her head whipped around and her breath hitched when she saw Esme holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to quell her cries.

"Mom." Edward stood quickly and went to her side. He crouched between his parents' chairs and wrapped his arms around his mother's waist. She held him close, whispering words that only Edward could hear, and he nodded. "I'll be careful," Edward said to her before hugging her tighter.

He stood up when he heard dishes clattering but Bella waved him away, told him to speak with his parents while she cleaned up the table. Rosalie and Jasper stood to help her and, when everything was brought into the kitchen, the three of them stood by the sink to allow the Cullen family some time together.

"Bella," Rosalie began.

"Don't," Bella responded quickly. She turned her body away from her future in-laws and pushed the curtains back from the window above the sink. The sky was darkening slowly and she stared at nothing. Through the window, she saw Rosalie's reflection stand behind her and Bella shook her head as she said, "I don't want to hear you say it will be okay, Rose. You don't know that. _I_ don't know that. No one does."

"Bella?"

"What?" She spun around and took a deep breath when she saw Edward standing in the entryway between the kitchen and the dining room. "I'm sorry," she said immediately.

His eyebrows drew together and his mouth evened into a straight line, a look Bella knew meant he was either angry or uncertain. "My parents are leaving. They wanted to say good-bye." With a nod, Bella walked towards him, pausing only when his hand stopped her. Her face turned upwards but her eyes focused more on his ear than his gaze. "I love you," he said lowly. "You know that, don't you?"

She nodded. "I know." There was a tightening in her chest but she pushed it away for the time being and gave him the same fake smile she had been giving everyone for the past month.

Carlisle gave her a quick hug by the door after making her promise to call if she needed anything. Esme's hug was longer, tighter, and Bella almost broke down in her arms. Pulling away, Bella bid them a good night, tensing slightly when she felt Edward at her back. His hand was heavy and warm at the base of her spine but there was a sense of comfort that wrapped around her. Esme shifted and lifted a hand up to Edward's face, trailing a hand down his cheek as she said, "My sweet boy."

"I'll be back," Edward promised. "I'll come home."

They left without any other fanfare which left the siblings and their significant others in the new house. The six of them moved into the living room, still unfurnished with the exception of the couch and love seat, where Emmett pulled his brother aside for a private conversation. At one point, Jasper wandered over to them, and Bella was left with the two women she would soon call sisters.

The silence was almost unbearable between the three women. It was a new experience, not having anything to talk about, but Bella refused to speak of Edward leaving. She struggled for something to say, coming up with only, "Did you want coffee? Or tea?"

"No, thank you," Rosalie said with a slow blink of her lashes. Next to her, Alice shook her head as well, and Bella decided not to say anything else.

It wasn't long before the familiar weight of Edward's hand was on her shoulder and she watched through a slightly unfocused gaze as the others gathered their belongings and made their way to the door. Edward said good-bye to them, his voice cracking a bit when Alice jumped into his arms and demanded he come home soon so she could continue helping Bella with the wedding plans and so he could continue choosing furniture for the house.

The moment the door was locked, Bella felt the strength leave her body as she sagged against Edward's side, making him pitch forward to catch her before she fell to the floor. He said nothing but ran his fingers through the long strands of her hair in an effort to comfort her.

After a few minutes she straightened up and swiped at her cheeks where a few tears had made tracks. "I should go clean up," she said quietly. Edward held her close, not wanting to let go of her, but she shifted in the circle of his arms. "I won't take long, I promise."

With a sigh, he let go of her and pressed a kiss at the center of her forehead. "I'm going to shower." Bella nodded in response and Edward closed his eyes as he breathed in her scent – a mixture of a light, floral perfume and the aroma of the food she had cooked earlier. "Come up soon."

"I will," she said before turning away and walking to the kitchen. With each swipe of soap on the dishes and every run of her hands beneath the stream of water, Bella allowed her emotions to run wild. Fear gripped her heart. Worry made her stomach clench. Love burst through her veins.

Edward was still in the bathroom when she entered the bedroom though the shower was no longer running. She stared out the open bedroom door as if she could hear what he was doing across the hall but only silence met her. With a heavy sigh, she moved to stand by the dresser and began to undo the buttons of the simple dress she had worn for dinner. She paused when she noticed an envelope on the dresser with her name written across it in Edward's writing. Just as she was about to reach out for it, the bathroom door opened and Edward stepped across the hall into the bedroom.

Slow but determined steps brought Edward before her and Bella tilted her head back with coaxing from Edward's hand at the juncture of her neck and jaw. "Open it after I leave," he said with a nod towards the envelope.

"What is it?" She couldn't help but ask even though she already knew he would never tell her.

"Tomorrow," he whispered against her mouth as he lowered his face to hers. "No words for now, not tonight."

Bella parted her lips to taste him, to let him taste her. Edward's skin was still warm from the shower and his palms smoothed the goose bumps on her skin as he undid the rest of the buttons of her dress, just enough to push the fabric off of her shoulders. Once she was free from the light cotton material, Bella twined her arms up over Edward's shoulder and around his neck, tugging him downwards to hold him as close as possible.

"Don't go," she murmured when she pulled away. A sigh escaped Edward's lips, a sad sound mixed with regret and the tiniest bit of annoyance. Bella tightened her arms around him, moving to stand on her toes, as she continued. "I know you have to but, Edward, I don't... I can't..."

"Shh," he hushed her and pushed her body away from his slightly so he could look at her, really _look_ at the woman he loved. "Bella," he began.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she interrupted him. Her eyes shut and she stepped forward again to lean her forehead against his bare chest. "Don't tell me that... that you'll come back to me."

"Bella, love, I will do my best to come back to you," Edward gave her the best promise he could. "I will do everything in my power to stay alive, to come back to you so we can get married and have a family."

She said his name softly. Her voice caressed his skin and he led her to the bed. They sat at the edge and Bella curled against his side. His hands stroked the skin of her waist until she looked up at him with wide eyes that begged for him in every possible way. The corners of his lips quirked upwards the slightest bit and he leaned down to kiss her, a soft pressure on her lips that grew more desperate as the seconds ticked away.

Time ceased to exist as they came together for what Bella thought could potentially be the last time. The tears trickled from the corners of her eyes as Edward held her, rocking into her until they were joined in an intimate embrace, and she breathed his name with hitched syllables and broken cries.

She stayed awake afterwards. While Edward shifted restlessly through the midnight hour and into the early morning, Bella stared at him and tried to memorize every line of his face, every curve and cut of his body. Her fingers hovered above his skin as she committed his warmth, his voice, everything about him, to memory. She was still awake when the alarm clock on Edward's side of the bed rang clearly in the silent room.

He groaned and blinked wearily up at the ceiling before he turned to look at her. His face softened into a sad smile as his fingers traced the curve of her jaw to her chin. "Did you sleep?"

She shook her head as Edward sat up in bed with the blanket pooling around his waist. He sighed again and tugged her close to hold her against his body, warming her with his heat until she finally let out a sob. Her hands scrambled to hold him, to touch him, to keep him close, and Edward didn't even bother to shush her cries this time. While still holding her, he reached to his side and turned the alarm off.

He sat with her for as long as he could but the minutes passed quickly and Edward had to change. Pulling away from Bella's embrace, Edward stood from the bed, leaving a kiss against her hair before moving to the bathroom. Bella listened as the water started for Edward to take another shower before he left. She wiped the tears from her face and stood as well. After pulling on a dressing robe, she went to the closet and pushed some of the hanging clothes to the side.

The uniform was perfectly pressed. Bella had hung it soon after Edward had brought it home and had refused to look at it. She had no choice now and she reached out to touch the wool uniform, the material slightly rough beneath the pads of her fingers. She undid the four buttons of the jacket and draped it over her arm before pulling the pants from its position over the hanger. With care, Bella laid both of the items down at the foot of the bed where the covers hadn't been too mussed.

"Thank you," Edward said quietly when he stepped back into the bedroom with a towel tucked around his waist. Bella said nothing as she sat at the small vanity table Edward had bought for her when they first moved into the house. She watched as he went to the dresser and pulled on his underwear and a plain white undershirt. He sat on her side of the bed as he pulled the dark socks on before he stood to move to the dresser again, this time so he could take out the button-down shirt of the same, plain color.

Bella continued to watch him silently as he stepped into the trousers, tucking his shirt in before he buttoned and zipped the pants. When he slid the cotton tie around his neck, Bella stood up and walked to him, making sure the collar was up while she knotted the tie for him, before settling it back down in place. Her breath hitched as she took in the way the uniform settled against his body, the drab color bland against his pale skin. Without a word, she leaned around him and picked up the jacket, holding it open so he could slide his arms in easily.

He turned towards her and she moved to button the jacket but his hands stopped her. "Don't say anything," Bella said in a pleading voice. "I can't..."

"I love you." His hands were gentle as he cupped her face and kissed her once, twice, and then he let his arms drop and Bella continued to close the four buttons.

She walked with him to the front door, stopping only because she wasn't dressed to go outside. They had agreed to say good-bye in the house and Edward would go to the assigned meeting area by himself. Their arms wound around each other tightly as they stood by the door, Edward's uniform rough on Bella's exposed skin.

"Come home to me," she whispered into his neck as she stretched her body against his and he leaned down to her. "I love you."

"I'll do my best," he said just as quietly, still not promising to come home when he had no idea what would happen overseas. "Wait for me."

The kiss was packed heavily with emotion and desperation and when they parted, Bella touched her lips with her fingers, watching again as Edward disappeared for a few seconds to retrieve a packed duffel bag from the front hall closet. He slung it over his shoulder, his body tilting slightly with the added weight, and he leaned down to Bella for one more kiss.

The sound of the door shutting echoed loudly in the house. Bella couldn't bear to watch Edward walk down the driveway where she knew the taxi was waiting for him. Instead, she climbed the stairs to the second landing where she went to the bathroom to start a bath. She breathed in deeply when she realized the room was still drenched with the scent of Edward's soap.

Remembering the envelope on the dresser, Bella left the water to run and moved to the bedroom. The envelope was thin and she took the single piece of paper out to unfold it. Edward's handwriting was neat and Bella traced her fingers over the words he had written as though she could feel him through the paper. It was a short letter, a small note that gave her hope and promises, and Bella kissed his name at the bottom of the paper before folding it carefully again to leave it on the dresser.

It was the first of a series of letters, she soon found out. Every few weeks, a letter was delivered, a plain envelope bearing her name and address hidden amongst bills and catalogs. Bella soon found herself with a routine whenever a letter came. She never read it immediately, opting instead to stare at it in its imperfection of creases and fingerprints due to its traveling overseas.

Two nights was the longest she ever kept it unopened. Like the first one she had ever read, she only opened Edward's letters while she ran a bath to soak in after she read his words. With the water running in the background, she would sit at the vanity and use one of her hairpins to cut through the top of the envelope. Her fingers took out the sheets of paper – usually two sheets with writing on both sides – and unfolded them on her lap.

They were simple words that contained any information he could actually tell her. Usually, he spoke of his fellow soldiers, of the nights that seemed too long without Bella by his side. He would ask her how she was doing, if she missed him as much as he missed her, if she longed to hold him again the way his body ached to be next to her. At the end of every letter was a date followed by the words, "I'm doing my best as the days go by to be with you once more."

More often than not, Bella felt the tightening in her chest of impending tears, but she often held them at bay. She wouldn't cry for him, not when he was still alive in the trenches and writing to her. With the utmost care, she folded the letter again, following Edward's exact lines even if they weren't perfect and put the envelope into the second drawer of her vanity.

The bath calmed her after reading his words. On nights when she stayed home rather than go out with Rosalie and Alice, she opted to use Edward's soap, needing his scent on her and around her. Sleep always came more easily after she read Edward's letters; somewhere, she knew he was still breathing and finding his way back.

In the morning, after a quick breakfast, Bella smoothed a fresh piece of paper at the kitchen table and wrote a response to Edward. It was nonsensical for the most part but it gave her a sense of being close to him. When it was written, she folded the paper into a square and slid it into the pile of letters she was saving for Edward when he returned. She used a ribbon to tie them together in a neat little package and left them on the windowsill above the kitchen sink.

The weeks bled into months until almost a year had come and gone. Bella noticed that Edward's letters arrived more sporadically and they were much shorter as though he no longer had time to write everything he wanted to. When three months went by without a letter, Bella began to wonder when she would get the dreaded letter from the Army, before she realized that Edward's parents would probably receive it first.

She didn't talk to anyone about the dark turn her thoughts were talking, was too scared to speak her fears aloud. The lack of conversing with friends and family made it that much harder to see an unfamiliar car pull up the driveway on a Thursday when the sun was beginning to dip below the far horizon. She froze in her actions of washing the dishes from dinner and ignored Alice as the older woman asked what was wrong. Without saying a word, Bella turned off the faucet and walked to the front door, fear gripping her heart and squeezing until she almost stumbled.

"Bella?" First, Alice called her, then Rosalie but neither received an answer. They stood quickly from the kitchen table and followed Bella who was leaning against the door with her head bent. Her shoulders heaved up and down. "Bella, what's wrong?"

The doorbell rang and Bella let out a noise of discontent. She let out a whispered, "No," but the doorbell rang again when minutes passed.

"Bella, who's at the door?" Rosalie asked from behind her. Judging by Bella's reaction, Rosalie had a feeling who might be at the door, but wanted to stay positive. She carefully pulled Bella's shoulders back until she was off of the door. "Alice, open the door, would you?"

The man was unfamiliar but the uniform was the same one that Edward wore when he left. Once the door was opened and the three women were revealed, the soldier took off his cap and nodded his head. "M'am," he began but Bella let out a sob.

"No. No, no, no."

The soldier, who looked no more than 18, suddenly looked scared and he stared at Alice with wide eyes. "Uh," was all he said before he looked over his shoulder. "I don't think, that is..."

"Brighton, did you screw up the simple task of checking if anyone was home?"

Bella's head shot up from Rosalie's shoulder when she heard Edward's voice. "Edward?"

His smile was tired but genuine as he walked slowly to the door, leaning heavily on a walking cane. "Bella," he breathed.

"Edward!" Bella launched herself out of Rosalie's arms, past the soldier at her door, and threw her arms around Edward's neck. He staggered backwards, shooting a grateful look to the second soldier by his side when he steadied Edward. "You're home," she said through tears. "You're home and, oh God, what happened? Are you okay? You're alive, of course you're okay, but your leg. Is it your leg? What _happened_?"

"Shh, baby girl," Edward laughed lightly as he wrapped his free arm around her waist. Bella's hands moved to his face and she stared at him. "I'll be okay," he said. "But I'm home."

She said his name again, and for the moment, they were alone. The others disappeared from Bella's mind. All she saw was Edward in front of her. When their lips met, Bella tasted the salt of her tears, the breath from Edward's mouth, and she sighed her happiness at feeling him in her arms again.

"You came back," she breathed out when she pulled away.

"I had to," Edward said in a low voice, aware of his sisters and the other soldiers still waiting for a discharge. "I promised you I would."

Bella let out a teary chuckle. "No, you didn't."

His hand was warm on her cheek and his thumb swiped the skin beneath her eye in an attempt to get rid of the tears. "Maybe not to you," he confessed. "But I promised myself I'd come back for you, _to_ you."

"Stay," Bella said. "Don't leave. Stay now."

Her head rested on his shoulder, her face turned into his neck, where little puffs of breath tickled him. Moving his hand to the back of her head, Edward shut his eyes and held her close. "I'm here," he promised. "I'm not going anywhere."

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_This was a lot longer than I expected it to be. "Thinking of You" by Katy Perry and its official music video was also a great inspiration to this particular story. Thanks to Jill and Jess for reading this as I wrote it. Love and thanks to Sara for her beta work.  
_


	2. Newborn Memories

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow them for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 15  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K+

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

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**Newborn Memories  
**_Something new to replace the old._

She jumped from the cliffs once before. It had been exhilarating, scary, something she hadn't planned.

She tells Edward of her plans to jump again and a chair crumbles beneath his angry strength. He is against it but her mind is made up. She wants to wash away the past.

She asks him to join her.

Edward jumps first then watches as Bella plunges into the water, still clothed. Her body twists, searching for him, and he swims to her, grabs her waist, pulls her close.

When they kiss, it is exhilarating, beautiful, everything Bella wanted in her new life.

* * *

_Thanks to Sara and Jill for looking this over and counting the words to make sure it was 100._


	3. Different Meanings

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 12  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

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**Different Meanings**_  
A new spin on a classic tale._

Edward doesn't like ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND but he reads it with Renesmee because she finds it enchanting. At night, he complains to Bella about the annoying characters and unbelievable tales. She merely laughs at him.

The next morning, he finds a note in Bella's writing that says,

COME TO THE MEADOW

Intrigued with the command, he runs to their favorite place, and comes to a complete stop at what awaits him. Naked and glittering in the sunlight, Bella lounges on a checkered picnic blanket. Edward's eyes darken when he reads the note card lying on her stomach.

EAT ME.

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_Did I just completely ruin ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND for you? Thanks to Jill and Sara for counting out the words and making sure this made as much sense as possible._


	4. Making Small Talk

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow them for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 2  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight24/13912[dot]html

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**Making Small Talk**_  
Drunk, happy, and daring, Edward loses all common sense when it comes to the beautiful girl at the bar._

Edward's eyes watch her as she walks from the back hallway, where the bathrooms are, to her friends at the bar. She's beautiful and slightly tipsy, a product of the night's on-tap specials, and when she laughs, she throws her head back so that her neck is an exposed column of pale skin. It's easy for her to flag down the bartender; all it takes is a finger in the air, a lean over the counter, and a toss of her hair over a shoulder.

A heavy hand claps down on his shoulder and he turns to shoot an annoyed look at his brother. "You really going to do this tonight?" Emmett asks him and he's very obviously trying to hold back laughter. "I mean, you've been watching her all night and she hasn't even _looked_ at you."

"So?" Edward murmurs the response. "Just 'cause she hasn't looked doesn't mean she hasn't _seen_ me."

"Uh-huh." Emmett gives his little brother a skeptical look especially when Edward slams back another pint of dark liquid. "And, tell me, how much have you had to drink already?"

"Not enough for what I'm about to do," he admits.

For the next 15 minutes, Edward psychs himself up to go over to the bar where the girl still sits with four other women. He wants a sign of some sort but she never turns around. In the same 15 minutes, he orders and drinks three more beers, and the alcohol warms his body over the lack of food in his stomach. He's not a lightweight but he's been drinking since work let out four hours ago and still hasn't eaten anything.

Edward is pretty sure he's fucked up enough to do what he always said he would.

With a deep breath, he stands from the small table he's been sitting at for hours, nodding at Emmett who gives him a thumbs-up. The bar is more crowded than it was earlier so it takes Edward some time to make his way over to the girl. Two of the girls she is with glance over to him with amused expressions.

He clears his throat as soon as he's standing behind her. Her body tenses at the sound, like she knows what is about to happen, but Edward is positive whatever is going through her mind is _not_ going to do him or this situation justice.

"Excuse me," he says lowly. She turns and big, brown eyes blink at him. He leans past her and pretends to try and catch the bartender's attention. This close to her, he smells a heady scent of strawberries, beer, cigarette smoke, and a floral perfume that's more than a little familiar.

Her eyes stare at him as though she's waiting. Her friends have fallen silent and there is a tension in the air surrounding them. Edward takes another deep breath then turns his head to look at her. The first words out of his mouth are, "Do you like to fly?"

A single eyebrow arches up. "Excuse me?"

"Airplanes," Edward clarifies. He shuts his eyes briefly and, when he opens them again, he continues. "There's an airport nearby. We could... Go there."

"And why would I want to do that?" She sounds amused, which is better than annoyed.

"Because then we could watch my heart take off now that I've seen you."

There is silence for a few short seconds and then she laughs loudly, a sweet sound that makes Edward want to move closer to her. When she looks at him again, her eyes are bright as she says, "And what if I'm scared of flying?"

"I'd ask how tired you are."

Her eyes turn wary. "Tired enough to say _no_ if you follow that up with an offer to ride you."

"No," Edward says in a laugh. "But I'd ask if you found anything interesting in my mind while you running through it for the past two hours."

"Hey, man, what are ya' having?" the bartender cuts into the conversation with ease. "Oh!" He recognizes Edward and nods at him. "Same as always?"

"Two," Edward responds as he holds up two fingers just in case he can't be heard over the rising volume. With a smirk, he turns to the girl and wiggles the two fingers. "See these?" She nods. "You should always use these two fingers when you need to get off."

"What?" she screeches. One of her friends, a petite girl that Edward tries to ignore, lets out a loud guffaw.

Edward leans in close just as the bartender puts two glasses down on the counter. His mouth is dangerously close to her ear. "They're mine, sweetheart," he says lowly. "They'll give you the best orgasm you'll ever know."

She is still silent and possibly in shock when he turns to go back to the table where his brother is holding down the fort. His beautiful, blonde girlfriend is in his lap and Edward nods a greeting.

"How did that go?" she asks as she nods her head towards the group of girls.

Edward chuckles. "Amazingly."

Every time Edward looks over at the bar now, she is staring at him, watching, waiting, wanting. Her eyes are fierce in their stare and her body visibly tenses when Edward licks his bottom lip slowly, intentionally, hotly. Next to him, Emmett is laughing at the looks being sent to the table, until he feels bad and practically shoves Edward away.

"Go talk to her again. It's obvious she _wants_ it." Again, he is trying to suppress laughter and his eyes are practically glinting in the dim lights of the bar.

This time, she is waiting for him, leaning back against the bar with her elbows up on the counter. Her legs are crossed – right over left – and Edward flashes her a smile when she not so discreetly reaches a hand down to tug up the hem of her skirt.

"Showing me some leg, hmm?" Edward smiles at her and notices the way her friends shift the slightest bit so he can easily slide in next to her. "You gonna tell me when they open?" he asks lowly.

Her eyes are practically dancing in amusement. "For you?" she scoffs. "Possibly never."

Immediately, Edward presses his hands against his own chest and pretends to stagger away. "You know, rejection like that can lead to emotional stress, which can potentially lead to physical and mental complications. You don't want to be the reason I fall apart and _die_, do you?"

"Oh, really?" She uncrosses her legs before slipping her left leg over her right knee. The movement causes the fabric to slide up her thighs a bit more. "And how would you know this? Are you a doctor of some sort?"

It's the perfect thing to say to him. "As a matter of fact, I am." Edward winks at her and reaches out to trail a single finger down her neck. "When's the last time you had a full physical?"

"Not too long ago," she says in a low whisper. Her heart beats the tiniest bit faster at his touch.

"Shame," Edward says before he follows the curve of her shoulder and stops touching her. "I could have shown you what a great doctor I am."

A smile curves onto her lips. "Oh, so this isn't just for me? You say things like this to all your patients?" Edward flounders for an answer because _crap_, that wasn't supposed to happen. Seeming to sense the sudden discord in the air, she giggles. "So what's your name? Or should I just call you _Doctor_?"

"You can call me anything you want to," he says with a smoldering look. His tongue darts out to press against his upper lip and he continues in a breathy voice, "That is, if I can call you _Milk_ because I'm pretty sure you'll do my body _real_ good."

It's the final straw for her and she laughs until she can't breathe. The combination of cheap beer and bad pick-up lines has her stomach hurting from laughing and she opens her legs enough that she can pull Edward between them. "Stop," she requests through her laughter. "Baby, I can't take anymore."

Edward laughs and places his hands on her waist, smoothing down the skirt to make sure she isn't showing anything to the rest of the crowds. "Did I impress you?" he asks. Before she can answer, he bends and kisses her neck, licking away the salty sweat that covers her skin in a thin film. "Will you come home with me?"

"I go home with you every night," she teases. Her hands are warm and a little sticky from holding glasses with condensation all night but she lifts his head away from her body and grins at him. "Tell me you didn't really use those pick-up lines before you met me."

"Oh, he did," Alice says with laughter. She rolls her eyes at her brother. "The _fingers_ line, Edward, that was horrible. I couldn't hold in the laugh."

"So I noticed." He rolls his eyes at her before turning back to the beautiful girl in front of him. "None of that worked on you tonight, huh?"

She shook her head slowly while mouthing _No._ "It's a good thing _I_ was the one to walk up to _you_ at that bar."

The girls, now surrounding them since playtime is over for the night, are listening intently. One of the things they don't know about their friends' two-year relationship is what happened the first night they met. It's something they're both silent about.

Even Alice doesn't know and she's the one to ask, "What happened then? What did you say to him?"

Edward lets out a deep laugh. He remembers how drunk she was that night, drunker than she is tonight, definitely. Her cheeks flush a deep pink and she buries her head against Edward's chest. When the others keep asking, she finally sighs and tilts her head up. Edward's eyebrows rise up in question.

"What's your last name?" she asks. Her friends look at her in confusion.

"Cullen," Edward answers promptly. His lips are curved in a magnificent smile. "Why?"

"My name's Bella. That sounds perfect with your last name.

Alice is the first one to screech, "Shut up! That is _not_ what you said to him!"

Bella flushes even more and hides her face in Edward's chest. She can feel the rumbling of his laughter and she bites at his shirt playfully, holding onto him tightly when he yelps and tries to move away.

Alice isn't done. "And you!" She turns to her brother. "You _fell_ for that?"

"Well," he says simply. "She was right. It _did_ sound perfect." He kisses the top of Bella's head. "You ready to go?" he asks, referring to the apartment they share. She nods and hops off of the bar stool, swaying only slightly.

Bella stops him when Edward starts to pull her away. He looks back and notices the mischievous look in her eyes. She tugs at his arm and he dips his head so that she's able to speak directly into his ear. "You know... I'm like a tropical island right now." Edward waits. "Hot, wet, and waiting for a tourist to explore me."

The laughter escapes his mouth and Bella nips at the skin behind his ear. He jerks away but pulls her after him again, waving at Emmett who's in charge of paying tonight, and when they're outside the bar, Edward kisses Bella fully, licking at her lips until he can taste the light lager she was downing earlier. "No more pick-up lines, baby," he requests when he pulls away.

He's able to flag down a cab within minutes and, as the scenery flies by on the 20-minute drive, Edward can't help but rub his thumb lightly over Bella's left hand. The motion tickles her and every time her hand twitches, the dim lighting from the small television near their knees catches the twinkle of the diamond ring. Bella smiles and is glad she was right – Bella Cullen _does_ sound perfect.

* * *

_Thanks to Sara for looking this over and not judging me on the horrific pick-up lines used here (or, at least, for not telling me she was judging me). Speaking of the lines spoken by both Edward and Bella – they were found on the website, linesthataregood[dot]com._


	5. Flame

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow them for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 23  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight24/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Flame**_  
Breathe her in, breathe him out._

She watches the smoke curl around his face. He crooks a finger at her, places the lit end of the joint into his mouth, stares as her lips close over the other end.

A spark of electricity races between them.

The burning heat warns his tongue of danger. Edward exhales and watches Bella's eyes fall shut as the smoke winds its way into her mouth.

The joint disappears and Edward parts his lips. Bella leans forward, winks at him, lets her exhale send the smoke spiraling back into his body.

He holds her hips tight against his as they kiss.

* * *

_Thanks to Katie for reading this and helping me make it more coherent. I dedicate this little shotgun to her. Loves._


	6. What Wasn't Expected

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 14  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**What Wasn't Expected**  
_They wanted it all but life sometimes deals unfair hands._

Edward stared at the screen while he whispered words of love into Bella's hair. It was there, the line that indicted a heartbeat. He wanted to hear it but it was too soon.

He could wait.

Superstition stopped them from telling anyone. It was early still but Edward spoke to Bella's belly, kissed the skin while she giggled and stroked his hair.

She loved his antics.

Weeks later, Bella saw blood and yelled for Edward. Fear and uncertainty sent them to the doctor. They held hands during the ultrasound and then there were apologies, questions, tears.

Their silence was deafening.

* * *

_Thank you to __Jibs__ and __G.A.W.__ for reading this over. I dedicate this to anyone who has been in this situation. This particular drabble was "inspired" (for lack of a better word) by someone who is a big part of my life and, to her, I send love._


	7. O Cristo Redentor

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 19  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**O Cristo Redentor**_  
Leaving Bella was his most terrible sin._

Adrenaline had pushed him across the country and back. The bright flames of Victoria's hair had urged him into the waters of the Gulf and Caribbean Sea until she had coyly looked over her shoulder from the sands of Venezuela. He chased after her, night after night, moving south until she disappeared completely – from his sight, from his smell, from his mind.

Never before had Edward felt so alone amidst the minds of the locals and the visiting tourists of Rio de Janeiro.

He wanted to return to the hunt. Red eyes taunted him from afar, demanding he chase her again, and he wanted to, wanted to forget the pain of deceit and failure. Instead, he found an empty room in an abandoned building and stood at the window, just barely out of the sunlight that streamed in during the morning and afternoon hours.

Bella was always at the forefront of his mind. He could see her so clearly that he often wondered if she had found him and come to save him. Almost like visions, whispers of his love appeared, like ghosts come to warn him of impending doom. Her eyes were always sad, the sparkle gone, and she never blushed anymore. A soft, inquiring voice called his name; the sound wound around him like silken ropes but, when he turned to face the room, there was nothing there except for the broken piano in the corner.

Outside the window, he heard the music of local bands every night, the happy sounds winding their way up the brick of the building and into the room. There was chatter and laughter. Edward merely stared out the window in an attempt to ignore the happiness that surrounded him. He didn't want happiness, realized he may never deserve it again.

A young woman managed to catch his eye on a warm and humid night. She danced down the street with a group of friends. Beads of perspiration gathered at her hairline and dripped down the sides of her face but she didn't seem to notice. She was a carefree spirit, an open book, to those who chose to watch her move to the resounding music that carried her forward. Her shirt rose up to reveal a tanned and flat stomach when she lifted her arms and Edward could see the swirls of color that wrapped around her waist. She sang along to the beat of the drums, nonsensical sounds and words that called to Edward, dangerous notes from a siren.

She stumbled on the uneven pavement of the sidewalk; her body pitched forward until her hands met the rough concrete below her. Images of long, dark hair and pale skin and chocolate-colored eyes assaulted Edward's mind. He wanted to run to the fallen girl, help her, hold her, but she wasn't who he wanted. The faint scent of blood wafted over to him, the smell caused by the spots of blood rising to the girl's palms and meeting fresh air by newly formed scrapes and scratches. A friend helped her up with a hand on her elbow and the girl shook her head, laughed, and spread her arms out wide while she spun. The fall hadn't stopped her from enjoying herself at all.

As the group turned the corner and disappeared from his view, Edward found himself wondering if there would ever come a day when he might have a reason to find happiness again, just like the girl.

He turned his head toward his right shoulder, his chin dipping down in a pose of shame, but the illuminated figure of Christ looming over the city of Rio caught his attention. Even at the great distance, Edward could see the cracks in the statue, lines of its years, smudges of fingers and hands, all marks of disrespect.

"This is my punishment," he said lowly to himself, a statement of defeat. His eyes focused on the glow of the statue and he felt ashamed when he could see the forgiving expression on its face. "Would you hold out your arms for my return?" He spoke to no one, to anyone, to everyone. "For a lie so terrible, could I repent?"

The vibrations of his cell phone reached his ears and he stared at the tiny object as it skittered across the small desk against a wall. There was no one he wanted to talk to so he ignored it as he always did.

His fingers rested on the windowsill, curving until the wood splintered beneath his ministrations. Slowly, he traced the shape of the window with his hand, across the bottom and up its sides until he found himself mirroring _O Cristo Redentor_. Wisps of thoughts swirled in his mind, a mixture of drunken sexuality and innocent wonderings.

Again, he saw _her_ – a trusting smile, eyes full of love. He could practically feel the softness of her hands over his waist and up his chest. The touch he imagined had never happened, not in that particular way, but he could feel her, smell her, and a growl ripped from his body in anger. His eyes shut tightly in an effort not to see anything but it was there, a pulsing remembrance of what he'd left behind.

Another phone call was coming in. Very few people knew the number and those who did also knew that he wasn't taking phone calls, wasn't speaking to anyone. His eyes opened again and he tilted his head. "I did it for _her_," he said to the statue. "I did it _for her_." There was no answer, no reprimand of any sort, and it was in that moment that Edward realized how alike he and the statue really were.

Both frozen in time, neither would ever find death, except in the face of a fire. Broken pieces and marks like scars could happen but nothing more. Edward had gone to the base of the statue earlier and, away from probing eyes, had laid a palm on the stone. It had felt chalky beneath his fingertips. Soapstone, he remembered, was a mineral that could withstand time and the harshest of weathers but was softer than most, easily stained.

Just like him.

Despite the decades of living and experiencing the world around him, she had gotten under his skin, made herself a vital part of his very existence. Even the strongest can crumble.

A third phone call caused him to push away from the window. Enough was enough.

"What?" he said harshly into the phone. He hadn't even looked to see who the caller was. It was Rosalie, her voice a mixture of relief and annoyance. The conversation was terse, fumbling, and Edward heard an unusual hesitancy in his sister's tone. "What are you not telling me?"

There was a pause before pain shot through Edward's body at the words Rosalie spoke. Terror seized him, but worse, guilt consumed him, brought him back to the window where Christ Himself was waiting to embrace those he loved. He ended the call even though Rosalie was still talking. He didn't want to hear her voice. He only wanted to hear _hers_, he wanted to listen to Bella.

His fingers dialed a number he once promised to forget. It rang once. Twice. And then an unfamiliar voice greeted him, tense and unkind. Edward asked for her father, unable to say her name aloud, not when he was unsure of her fate. Words were said, words he never wanted to be told, and he hung up. The phone crumpled in his fist.

Turning once more to the open window, Edward smoothed a mask over his face, one of determination and resolve. Beneath him, the music of Brazil begged him to share in its fun, in its happiness. He lifted his hands to the sides of the window again.

"Forgive me," he said. His eyes stared at the statue, the pillar of strength for this bustling city. "There is nothing without her." The statue seemed to look at him sadly though Edward wondered if he was just imagining things. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Embrace her," he pled to anyone listening. "And forgive me."

Without another word, he pushed away from the window, and ran from the room. There was only one place to go and, for the first time in decades, he prayed for a sweet relief from his sins.

* * *

_Thank you to oOza for pre-reading and Sara for taking on the beta duties yet again. "O Cristo Redentor" is the name of the famous 130-foot statue located on Corcovado, a mountain that overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro. It can be seen in the NEW MOON film through the window when Edward finds out about Bella's "death."_


	8. Memorizing the Clouds

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 25  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K+

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Memorizing the Clouds**_  
The two most important women in his life say good-bye._

Mother and daughter stand on the rooftop in a farewell to the town. Edward watches; he smiles as five years of memories move fluidly through Renesmee's mind. Laughter fills the air and Edward yearns to be with them.

He jumps up, landing near Bella. She slides her fingers between his and squeezes affectionately. Edward kisses her hair after she murmurs, "Hello."

"Ready to go?" he asks.

Renesmee wraps her arms around his waist, still a child in a woman's body. "Not yet, Daddy," she replies softly. "Stay here with us."

"For?"

"We're remembering."

"Remembering what?"

Bella smiles. "Our life here."

* * *

_Thank you to __**oscar519**__ who looked over this quickly. I love her even though she doesn't parts of my writing style. :-D_


	9. Solitude

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 4  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K+

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Solitude**  
_After decades as a vampire, Bella still can't handle it all._

Bella misses having relationships outside of the family. Humans stay away from her now and the last of her high school friends has passed. She feels lost in her own emotions.

The others do their best to cheer her up but nothing works. Needing to get away, she runs through the trees, ignoring the concerns from the family.

Edward follows but keeps his distance. He wants her safe but knows she needs time. When she stops, she turns and reaches for him, until she's in the safety of his arms. He kisses her sweetly and she knows she'll be okay.

* * *

_Thanks to Jill for looking this over quickly to make sure I didn't screw up the English language._


	10. Hurry Home

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 9  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Hurry Home**  
_He'd wait forever for her but he doesn't have to._

Bella really wanted "sister time," so she asked Edward to leave first; he relented and kissed her good-bye. The drive alone wasn't bad and he unlocked the door of their new house within 24 hours.

It was mostly empty. Bella wanted to decorate it with him. For the first time in half a century, it would be just the two of them – no siblings, no daughter, just them.

Three days later, Edward stood at the window and watched her arrival. She saw him and winked. Within seconds, he was on the floor, a naked Bella straddling him.

They were home.

* * *

_Thank you to __**ooza**__ for looking this over and telling me Bella was crazy for wanting "girl time" with her sisters._


	11. Change

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 10  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Change**_  
It's no longer a responsibility though she wishes it were._

Bella hates that she was the responsible one growing up. She doesn't resent her mother for taking away her childhood or teenage years but sometimes, she wishes she had playful memories. Instead, her thoughts are filled with scrapes of clumsiness, early morning cooking, and unwanted road trips.

Being with Edward is different. She doesn't have to take care of him. She barely has to take care of Renesmee. Edward dotes on both of them, makes sure their every wish is granted.

It's strange but Bella wishes, now more than ever, that she could take care of _them_, her loved ones.

* * *

_Thank you to __**Sara**__ who is my beta master._


	12. Anticipation Rising

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 1  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Anticipation Rising**_  
Bella makes her request._

"Bella," I breathe into her neck. Her body shivers beneath my mouth. I feel my resolve begin to crumble at her movements.

It's too dangerous. I must say no, must refuse her plea. She doesn't understand how weak I truly am.

She trusts me though, so I lift my head, and cup her face in my hands. Seconds pass in minute breaths between us. She wants me just as much as I crave her.

I inhale sharply, ready myself, and give in to my desires. I can't give her everything tonight but I can promise her that more will come.

* * *

_Thank you to __**ooza**__ for reading this over quickly._


	13. Summer Gathering

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 11  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Summer Gathering**_  
Work sometimes takes him away from her but the welcome he receives when he returns is more than worth it._

Somewhere outside, there is music playing. Bella can hear the joyful shrieks of children playing and the loud laughter from the adults but she doesn't care. All she knows is that Edward is beneath her, neck straining up to bite at the lobe of her left ear, and she needs him.

"Bella, fuck, get this shit off." His voice is scratchy, hoarse, but it sends sparks down Bella's spine. Hands fumble at her back until his fingers finally find the zipper and he pulls it down with mumbles of needing her _right the fuck now_.

She slips the straps down her arms and wraps sun-warmed arms around his neck, pressing her chest against him. "You curse too much," she protests through gasps. He doesn't say anything, just slides a hand between their bodies and glides a palm up to the fabric of her bikini top, nudging it slightly so he can play a melody on a breast. Fingers squeeze at the supple flesh until Bella arches back and he can taste her heated skin.

"It never bothered you before," he mumbles. Small hands push at his shoulders and Edward leans back, watches as she slips buttons through holes, groans when the slide of her tongue licks down his chest. Her teeth bite perfect marks into his stomach and he doesn't stop her when she undoes the buttons on his jeans, just lifts himself up as much as he can in the confined space of the SUV to let her yank them down to his thighs.

Her mouth is warm and wet on him, over him, around him. His hands go to the back of her head, fingers winding in her dark hair to help her find the rhythm he wants, enjoys, needs. She can hear the change in his breathing and she pulls away, trailing her tongue over the hard flesh, before her fingers dance slickly over him.

"Get over here." The words come out an octave lower than his normal speaking voice. Bella moves up his body, lets him lift the lower half of her dress so that it rests on her waist, over her hips, and leans in to bite tiny marks on his neck. A low, guttural sound escapes the back of his throat and he pulls at her hair. A column of smooth, tanned skin beckons him forward and his mouth puckers to kiss her neck. The warmth of his mouth moves down to her bare shoulder.

She rocks above him, desperate for the delicious friction he always gives her. His lips curve into a smile mid-kiss at her movement and his voice goes soft, promising her that he'll take care of her. His hands race down her back, over her stomach to rest on her thighs. The pads of his fingers tickle her slightly as they move up to hook into the string bottoms she's wearing. One tug on each side of her body and Edward can pull the fabric from between them. The bottoms are royal blue with a thin line of silver at the top and he lets it hang from a single finger for a moment.

"Are you more amused by those than me?" Bella bites the words out at him, only to gasp sharply when he flicks it to the side and returns his hand to the space between her legs. "Edward," she says his name in a high-pitched tone. Her body tilts to welcome his touch. "Fuck."

Edward laughs lowly at the word. "Mm, what was that about cursing earlier?" His hand is at her back, low so that his fingers bunch into the crumpled mess of her dress, while he makes her gasp and moan. "Will you come like this?" he asks gruffly. "I want you to."

"No," she moans out, a begging sound that makes Edward growl. "No, I want more. Edward, please."

"Tell me," he demands.

A loud bang against the side of the car jolts them. Laughter sounds loudly and Bella pulls herself closer to Edward. She knows no one can see through the tinted windows but her heart is racing at the interruption. Edward is less nervous. He slides his fingers out of Bella's body and works on calming her down again, leaving kisses against the tops of her breasts.

Shadows move toward the car and Bella's grip tightens around Edward's neck. He shushes her as someone stops right by the back window. It disappears as it bends – most likely to pick something up – and just as the figure appears again, Edward spreads her open and slides her body over him. Bella lets out an involuntary whimper at the press of bodies and the figure outside pauses. There are muffled voices for brief seconds of time and then the figure walks away.

"You feel so good," Edward groans against her flushed skin. She wants to yell at him for his antics but he feels too good inside of her after so long. All she can do is rock above him, against him, while her fingers curve into his shoulders to leave dents of crescents in his skin. "Fuck, I missed this."

Bella can't speak. She can barely _breathe_. In the small space, she loosens her grip on Edward's neck and leans back slightly, finding the floor of the trunk space with the palms of her hands. Edward's hands move to the junction of her hips and legs, holding her tightly so he can push up into her.

"Please, please, please," she repeats over and over again. It's not enough. Heat burns in her stomach, aches to be let free like flames of a bonfire. Edward lowers her even more until she's lying back completely and moves away from her body for a split-second when Bella cries out for him.

He shifts so that he's on his knees, cursing when he hits the top of the car. Deft hands lift her legs up so that her feet rest against the back seat and he slides back into her. Leaning over, he presses himself against her body, as best as he can, and his hips rock against hers, harder and harder until he's sure that anyone outside knows what's happening inside his car.

Her hands reach up to grip his arms that are on either side of her shoulders. Nails rake down as she tries to lift her hips to bring him in deeper, bring him closer. Her breath comes out in pants, deep and heady gasps that tell him she's so close. A whimper escapes and her nails are harsh against his skin. She wants to scream but, instead, kicks against the backseat as she comes. Her head turns and she bites down on Edward's forearm to try and quell her need to shout out his name.

"Fucking hell, Bella," he yells out at the feel of her teeth nearly bruising his skin. He slides in and out, in and out, and then his fingers curl like he's trying to grab onto something, anything but the flat surface he's holding himself up on, and comes inside of her, harsh and with a few final thrusts that make them both tremble.

It takes them a few minutes to settle down. Their bodies are sticky with sweat and Bella feels more than a little uncomfortable when she has to tie her bottoms back on. She uses her dress to wipe the mess between her legs and lets out a soft, "Fuck," when she realizes what she did.

Edward manages to pop the trunk door up and climbs out. His jeans are back up but the top two buttons are still undone. The white shirt is only half-tucked and he jumps out of the trunk holding his shoes. The dirt crumbles beneath his bare feet and he searches the trunk for a pack of cigarettes. They _were_ in the pocket of the shirt when he saw Bella running toward him from the party but they fell during the make-out session turned…well, _more_.

"Um, Edward?" Bella's voice is soft when she calls him, hesitant. He manages to grab a cigarette and puts it in his mouth before turning to face her. Her dress is a wrinkled mess next to her, and her arms are crossed over her stomach. She looks beautifully debauched.

"Yeah?" He finds his lighter, flicks the flame to the end of the cigarette, and breathes in deeply. Turning to Bella, he reaches out and drags her over to him, ignoring her squeal at the burn of the rough rug against her knees. "What's wrong?"

"My dress," she whispers. She looks back at it. Edward follows her gaze and sees the product of their incessant need for each other across the fabric. "I feel..."

He lets out a laugh and lowers the cigarette so he can kiss her fully on the mouth. He loves her, every part of her, whether it's when she's begging him to fuck her or embarrassed at showing off too much of her body. Placing the cigarette back in his mouth, he unbuttons his shirt and shrugs out of it. Without a word, he helps her into it and closes a single button down by her belly button.

"Better?" he asks.

She nods and bites her lip before smiling. With a hop out of the car, she throws her arms around his neck again and hugs him tightly. "I missed you." She bounces a bit on her toes, not caring that the dirt is ruining the pedicure she got last weekend. "You don't have to leave again for a while, right?"

"Right." He takes the cigarette between his pointer and middle fingers and wraps his arms around her waist, making sure to keep the lit end away from her body. He lifts her until she jumps and wraps her legs around his waist. He loves having her close, hates that his job sometimes takes him away from her. "I missed you, too, you know."

He sets her back down on the ground. Before slamming the trunk door closed, he reaches in and pulls out her flip-flops and drops them to the ground so she can toe back into them. "Thanks," she says softly. She leans into his side and walks with him to the backseat of the car. A red flush crawls up her neck when she remembers the way she kicked at the seats.

"I love this," Edward says through a laugh, trailing an invisible line down her blushing cheek. She bumps her hip against his but laughs with him. His upper body disappears into the SUV and, when it reappears, Bella doesn't have time to stop Edward from snapping a quick photo of her.

"Edward!" She reaches for the camera but he holds it up high, its strap wrapped around his wrist. "Delete it! I probably look horrible!"

With a disbelieving glance at her, Edward lowers the camera and checks the LCD screen. He didn't check the settings and didn't steady himself while taking the shot. He knew he had one second before she noticed him trying to take her picture so he did the best he could while he was still in the car.

It's blurry but beautiful. Bella's hair is still a chaotic mess from his hands; her lips are swollen from bites and kisses. Brown eyes are open wide but the tinge of pink is still lurking just beneath her skin. She's in the middle of a laugh.

"Oh my God, delete it," Bella groans.

He laughs again and shuts the door after grabbing his phone that somehow flew from the pocket of his jeans into the backseat. An arm wraps around Bella's shoulder as he steers both of them toward the gathering of people behind his parents' beach house. The party is supposed to be a mix of welcoming him home and celebrating summer.

His brother smirks at him when they approach but Edward shoots him a warning glare. He turns his head and kisses Bella on her head where her hair is already starting to heat up from the sun glaring down.

"You want anything?" He nods toward the cooler.

Bella tilts her head up and bites her tongue slightly in a silly but sexy grin. "Sure but I don't think it's appropriate in front of everyone here."

A few of the adults hear what she says and laugh loudly. Edward glares playfully at her and leans his head down so his mouth is against her ear. "What's inappropriate is how tight you were in the back of my car." Bella immediately starts coughing at his words. She stares at his back as he goes to the cooler and holds a hand out wordlessly when he returns with two bottles of opened beer. She gulps down the liquid as quickly as she can. Again, Edward's lips graze her ear. "Dehydrated? Worked up some sort of appetite?"

"Stop that," Bella hisses. She feels his lips press against the sensitive spot just below her ear and shivers. "Edward," she says quietly.

He can hear the urgent need in her tone. It doesn't matter that he just had her in the back of his car. It doesn't matter that all of it happened before anyone in his family even saw him or he said hello. She wants him, the way she always does, and he wants her just as much, if not more. "Later," he says.

"Promise?" She blinks at him when he crouches down next to where she is sitting. She lifts a hand – cold and wet from the bottle – and cups his face.

He grins and turns his head to kiss her palm. "Promise."

Slowly, he lifts the camera to his eye. She rolls her eyes at him but doesn't flinch away like she usually does. It takes him a few moments to get the settings _just right_ and then he breathes out, "Smile" and Bella lifts the corners of her mouth.

_Click._

_

* * *

Thank you to __**WhatsMyNomDePlume**__ for helping me churn this out with a picture of HotRob. Thanks also to __**Daisy3853**__ who read this on her plane ride away from me and __**ooza**__ who reads and betas things I write because I beg her to._


	14. The Only One

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 8  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**The Only One**  
_It doesn't matter who's around._

Two figures are in a bedroom with an open door. She sits on a desk, knees spread, so he can occupy the space between.

Open-mouthed kisses, thrusts of their bodies, moans of names, curses – everything gets lost in the heavy stench of beer and frat party chants to drink more.

"We should stop." A hand slides up her thigh, feels wetness, and he groans. "Bella."

"I don't care," she whimpers.

He moves to slam the door shut and then he's back, inside her, promising her whatever she wants. Her cries are drowned out by the raucous laughter of Edward's brothers.

* * *

_Thank you to __**ooza**__ for looking this over quickly and manually counting (just to be sure) and __**ahizelm**__ for saying "There's nothing wrong with a smutty drabble."_


	15. Mine to Take

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 3  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Mine to Take**_  
He finds her, seduces her, grants her immortality. She gives herself completely over to him but she never thought it would be like this._

_**How luminous he looks**_

The first time she sees him as an adult, a chilling shock runs straight down her spine and seeps into her bones. She sits at one of the desks in the music room. Soft music filters out from the speakers, a soothing sound that helps clear her mind and puts her thoughts onto paper. She loses herself in an imaginative world where skies burst into bright colors and people search for love but a light wind breezes in through the window and causes her hair to ruffle against her back. The draft is cold – colder than the cooling night temperature outside – and it is achingly familiar. She freezes. Her eyes stare at the lines of story on the desk, her hand stays poised above the notebook.

"Bella." Her name swirls around the room like calligraphy. His voice caresses her body, brands the five letters into her skin like a permanent marker. So slow that she feels like she's stuck in a thick fog, the pencil drops from her fingers, and she turns her head to find the face that has haunted her dreams since she was 15 in Phoenix.

He looks the same as he did back then. His eyes are red, burning flames that are intense and frightening. The angles of his face are sharp and beautiful, the way she remembers him from that one night outside a café. Bella longs to brush her fingers over the lines of his forehead, his jaw, his neck.

With a blink of her eyes, he is suddenly standing in front of her, his hands cupping her face. Her body shivers at the touch, not from the sudden drop of temperature, but because this is the moment she's wanted for three years. She had believed he wouldn't be able to find her after she moved to Forks but she should have known better. He's here and close and causing her heart to race like horses on a track.

His face leans in toward her; the musky scent she's come to associate with him fills her nostrils, causes her to stop breathing for a second. He runs his hands down to her shoulders, lets them smooth over the skin of her arms. In the harsh lights of the room, she sees the sharp glint of his teeth. Her head instinctively falls to one side. He lowers his face and breathes in her scent, lets the aroma of her blood fill his senses.

"Not yet," he murmurs against the rapid beat of her pulse. His voice hits her like a tidal wave, the sound so much closer than before, and she almost falls out of the chair to lean into him. He steadies her but lifts her to her feet. A hand wraps around her wrist and a single finger rubs gently over the vein. Pulling her impossibly closer to him, he inhales again, losing himself to the intoxication of her very presence.

_**Make this night victorious**_

Bella still doesn't know how old Edward Platt is or if that's even his real name. She's not sure if she'll ever find out, either. It is a closely guarded secret and, every time she asks, he easily avoids the question. She cares more about his age and she tries to narrow it down but there's no point; he sometimes speaks like he's lived through the age of Puritanism but he laughed when she mentioned it right before her mother remarried.

There are other secrets he keeps that Bella wants to hear though he warns her to stop looking. She's followed vampire lore since she was a child; it was a frightening fascination and, to this day, she still doesn't know how much of the mythology is actually true. Edward scoffs at the Hollywood version of vampires and rolls his eyes at some of the things she repeats for him but his eyes always darken at the tiniest mention of the fabled sensuality that accompanies the crimson kiss.

When she was 15, she ran into Edward in front of a coffee shop in Phoenix. He was alone and, back then, his eyes were a beautiful golden color. He was respectful and kind, holding the door open for her when he realized she was carrying too many books a large cup of tea. He asked her how her night had been, a passing curiosity, and something in her had snapped. The ideas and outlines of a new story came tumbling out of her mouth and he smiled at her. She blushed and apologized before disappearing down the street.

He appeared the next night and the night after that and the night after _that_. The coffee shop was her haven, a quiet place for her to work out her frustrations of school, and he had easily become a part of her sanctuary. She let him read her work, bit her lip when he nodded or smiled a lopsided grin at something she wrote, and flushed with excitement when she felt his eyes watching her for hours on end.

At the end of a week, he told her he was leaving, that he had made a decision that would take him far from her. She trembled at his good-bye, begged him to stay or let her go with him, but he only kissed her cheek and promised to, one day, come back for her. She knew he'd been different – so very different – and dreamt of his return.

_**A wondrous world beyond compare**_

She follows him out of the music room, out of the school, and to a car that takes her to a hotel room in a town an hour away from home. The room is plain, normal, nothing special. The bed is made perfectly. Everything remains untouched and there is nothing strewn about the room. It looks like she is the first guest.

Bella isn't sure what to do. She doesn't know how this works and is nervous that she'll do something wrong. When she voices her fears to Edward, he simply smiles and tells her to get comfortable. He whispers, "I'll be right back."

He leaves her in the hotel room without another glance and Bella suddenly feels its emptiness. Shadows dance along the walls from a flickering light bulb. Without anything to do, she sits on the bed and opens one of her notebooks to read memories of her past. She can't help the smile from forming on her lips as she reads about a boy who gives up everything in order to find the one person that makes him complete. It's one of her earlier stories, from when she was too idealistic and uncertain of the emotions she could portray in simple sentences.

A sound from the hallway interrupts her thoughts and she walks to the door slowly. The doorknob is cool in the curve of her palm; the door opens with a soft click that echoes loudly in her ears. Leaning her upper body out, she looks up and down the hallway but sees nothing. A shot of fear enters her and, when she shuts the door, she feels the same light breeze from earlier wash over her body.

"Edward," she whispers and there's a body pressed against her back. Familiar arms wind around her waist and hands find her stomach, the curves of her waist. A low, rumbling sound emerges from the back of his throat. Her breathing quickens with every stroke of his fingers against her skin. He isn't doing anything particularly special or grand but it's the most excited she's ever felt in her entire life.

One hand reaches up to brush her hair to one side. The movement leaves the column of her neck bare on her right. With a hitch in her breath, Bella quietly asks for it, begs him to take over her body, but all Edward does is skim cool, wet lips against her throat. He pauses briefly over the _thump-thump-thump_ of her pulse before he moves to lick at the back of her neck. He whispers more promises into her flesh. Bella's eyes flutter closed while the beating of her heart becomes erratic in the near-silent room. She nods at his words and he grips her so painfully tight that she almost stops breathing.

_**So radiant and glorious**_

Bella often had dreams of how she would become a vampire. Visions of a large bed with dark satin sheets filled her thoughts while she slept. Though she was somewhat self-conscious, she was always naked and waiting in her dreams, loving the cool touch of the fabric against her warm skin. Edward would watch her from across the room with darkening eyes; he'd move toward her, body lithe as a tiger stalking its prey.

He would pause at the end of the bed, stare at her with a hunger that only she could ever possibly satisfy. She imagined she'd gasp for breath as he moved himself onto the bed, over her body. He would fit her beneath him, line their limbs against each other, until they were interlocking pieces of a puzzle. Words would spill from his lips, sentences that would make her flush, make her blood rise as close to her skin as possible, and he would hiss at the appearance of the blush.

There would be pain, of course, but she wouldn't be scared. He once told her that she would burn from the inside-out once his venom entered her body but she doesn't care. She imagined that his teeth would slice into her skin with careful and perfect precision and she would lose all thoughts to the desire he granted her. He would hold her close and listen for the rushing sound of his venom taking over her blood.

He would stop at the exact moment that her body began convulsing with pain. At the sight of her, Edward would cover the bite mark with a cool palm and promise that she would be okay when she woke up after three days of hell. He would wait for her, be at her side, until the second her heart beat for the last time and she opened her eyes.

It's always been how she's imagined her transformation.

_**One savage kiss**_

The look in Edward's eyes scares her. They are no longer the bright red she's come to associate with him. They are _definitely_ not the calm gold he sported for that one week at the café. Instead, they gleam black, a stormy color that stares into her face as though he doesn't see her, only the veins that run beneath the thin layer of her skin. Bella tries to speak, tries to say his name but, with every passing second that his gaze is locked on hers, she forgets how to speak.

His mouth curves upward into a smile, one she's never seen before, and she swallows noticeably when his mouth opens just wide enough that she can see the even sharpness of his razor teeth. From between the rows of white perfection, his tongue slides out; Bella stares, is drawn to the movement as though she's being hypnotized. She wants him. Her body curves into his. She feels dizzy, almost weightless, and her body sways as she struggles to stay standing in the intensity of his gaze.

She's not entirely sure when it happens but, one moment, she feels like she's swimming, floating in the air, and the next, his head is bent and pressed against her neck. His hair brushes against her cheek in a loving stroke and then blinding white-hot pain rips through her body. She can feel the slide of hard teeth go into her neck, can feel the suction of his mouth drawing the blood from her veins. Edward's arms are tight around her, a death grip that renders Bella immobile. She doesn't know what's killing her faster – his bite and venom or the suffocation she's beginning to feel.

With a satisfied grin, Edward pulls away to look at her face and, in that split-second of time, Bella wrenches away from his arms and stumbles toward the door. She lifts a hand to her neck and finds the puncture wound; the warm slickness of blood coats her fingers and she feels even less steady now that she realizes what he's done, what _she's_ done to herself.

He catches her waist again just as she falls hard against the door. "Don't run," he says in a low tone. His voice is heavy with lust. "This is what you wanted." The pain runs through her body faster and faster until she slumps down onto the floor. Through the haziness of her mind, she feels his ironclad grip tighten and lift her up. He moves her hand away from her neck and bends down to her. He inhales again and moans at the freshness of her blood, at the scarlet river that runs down the paleness of her body. With a single rip, her shirt is torn to pieces and he watches her blood run over the fabric of her bra down to her stomach. It doesn't stop, the rush of redness that calls to Edward like a siren.

"It burns," she croaks out.

"Yes, it does," he says flatly. He holds a single finger to the waist of her jeans and draws it upward, gathering the blood on the tip. When his marble skin is stained with her life, he brings his finger to his mouth and licks the sweetness that he's come to love, to crave. "This is what you've always wanted, Bella," he whispers. "Aren't you happy?"

_**No longer blessed with innocence**_

Her body feels numb and heavy when Bella first opens her eyes. She blinks rapidly but stops when the quick fluttering makes the colors of the room melt into spirals. It feels like there is a thick fog wrapped around her brain, one that is clouding any judgment or force of reason. The tiny hairs at the back of her neck rises and she sits up quickly. Her eyes dart around the room in search of a predator. A snarl rises to the back of her throat.

She finds Edward sitting in a chair by the small table of the hotel room. The lamp next to him illuminates the varying shades of bronze, red, and brown in his hair. His eyes are back to the deep red color Bella loves and they stare at her, watching, waiting. Bella recognizes his scent. Something tells her to go to him, to touch him, sit by him, but she's not sure what.

In seconds, she stands next to him. Her speed is almost scary but it's also exhilarating. The air wraps her up in a warm hug but she wants _him_. He tilts his chin up and she sees the corner of his lips tug upwards. He stands as well and brings a hand to her face. His touch is warm and she leans into his palm.

The kiss is harsh, almost painful, and Bella moans into his mouth. They battle for control but she has more strength than he does, still has traces of her own blood running through her. Even that slightest hint of blood makes her throat burn. It doesn't matter that it's her own. Edward knows he can't fight her off and he can feel the tension rolling off her stony body, a plea for him to take her in a more primal way than feeding from her. He bites down on her tongue and Bella hisses a warning sound as she jumps away from him. He smiles smugly at her and lets out a rough laugh when she crouches, ready to attack.

"None of that now." His voice is like warm velvet but there's a command in his tone that makes her stand up again. "You're mine, Bella," he says simply. A tremor races through her body at his words; she tries to shake it off but she can't. He runs a hand down a bare arm. "Let's go."

_**Such a kingdom**_

The street is full of bars and pubs and restaurants. It's still early enough that people are milling about but also late enough that the majority of people are couples coming back from a date. The scent of their pulsing blood beckons Bella closer but Edward holds onto her tightly. She can escape if she wants but his hand feels too good on the base of her spine and she doesn't want to leave him.

"Them," Edward whispers to her; he is pointing to a couple exiting a hotel a few doors down across the street. Bella focuses on them. The woman is laughing flirtatiously and the man's body is turned slightly toward her as though he wants to protect her from anything and everything.

They act carefree. They hold each other like they are in love. Venom pools instantly in Bella's mouth.

She wants to run to them, grab them, and drain them of life but Edward's grip tightens, this time on her wrist. It feels like he's going to yank the appendage from her arm. He pulls her under his arm. His hand hangs over her shoulder so that his fingers brush against the top of her breast with every step they take together. Like any other couple on the street, they walk casually toward the targeted man and woman. Blood hangs in the air, a tease to Bella, but she wraps a hand at the back of Edward's shirt and they both ignore the ripping sound when she holds too tightly.

"Excuse me," Edward says smoothly when the reach the couple. They turn instantly. Edward asks if they're from town, if they know of any good bars or clubs in the area, and somehow, in the span of five minutes, the four of them are walking back toward the hotel where Edward has a room.

Before the door to the hotel room is even closed all the way, Edward holds the woman in an embrace that makes Bella's jealousy roar. The blond-haired girl giggles when Edward moves her hair to the side and peppers her neck with kisses. Bella watches them, stiff and angry, but then the man walks up behind her and mimics Edward's kissing. It does nothing for her but she tilts her head and lets out a fake, breathy moan like he's the best man for her. Edward's head shoots up to stare at her. His eyes are dark again and she can see the possessiveness in his eyes as the nameless man's hands slide down the side of her body, over her stomach, down to the button of her jeans.

He mouths her name right before he faces the blonde again. A moan fills the air and the pungent scent of blood quickly clouds the air. Bella inhales deeply; she ignores the attempts of seduction from the man behind her and takes a step toward Edward and the girl. Edward's throat moves sinuously while he drinks and she wants him, wants to share his spoils, share his need.

The human says his girlfriend's name, suddenly realizing her body is going limp in another man's arms, and Edward lifts his head from the girl's throat. Anger shoots through him because the man is still breathing but Bella only has eyes for Edward's mouth, red and glossy from drinking. The man starts to bellow. As if snapping out of a trance, Bella whips around and pulls him close, cutting off his screams.

_**Desire drives me**_

His blood is rich and warm with just the slightest hint of alcohol that makes Bella gag for a few seconds. She holds him roughly when he tries to struggle but every swallow she takes makes him droop against her, weaker and closer to death. Her fingers leave bruises on his arms from her newfound strength. Pulling away, she looks at him, sees his eyes plead silently with her, and she almost drops him in shock of what she's doing.

Edward is suddenly behind the man with bright, satisfied eyes. He licks his lips, growls at Bella, and pushes the man's head farther to the right so that the neck is stretched taut and Bella's teeth marks are more prominent. With a wink, Edward lowers his head to the wound and sucks the blood that still spills though he doesn't look away from Bella's gaze. As the warmth coats his throat, his eyes flash hungrily and he sinks his teeth into the marks, ripping open another vein.

Watching him drink reminds Bella of the burn in her throat, the emptiness in her stomach. She rips open the shirt, buttons fly everywhere, and she dips her head to pierce her teeth into his chest. The sweetness bursts into her mouth and she forgets her uncertainty, forgets the terror that she has become, and she drinks more. Edward's hand tangles in the hair at the back of her head, holding her close to the body until they hear his heartbeat slow considerably. They pull away and watch the limp body fall to the carpet between them.

Edward's mouth is on hers, still slick and warm from fresh blood and she groans in wanton pleasure. He walks her backwards until the edge of the small table digs into the middle of her back. It doesn't hurt, not really, but she hisses at the sharpness. Her body is flush with new blood when her skin meets the heavy air and, in mere seconds, she is naked and mewling at Edward like a cat in heat. He pushes into her without saying anything. Her nails scratch lines over his shoulders with a deafening screech but the marks heal quickly, before Bella can even blink.

Grunts and pants fill the room. He digs his fingers into her hips. She bites at his chest, leaving tiny white scars that will remind him that he belongs to her as much as she belongs to him. He kisses her then moves to lick the dots of blood that linger on her chin. The table bangs into the wall and Bella wants to scream her pleasure so that everyone staying at the hotel knows what she has become, who has made her into what she is. With a final thrust, Edward bites her bottom lip and Bella feels her entire body explode into a million colored lights.

He moves away from her easily, leaves her leaning against the table, completely breathless. He pulls clothes back on and throws a dress at her. Together, they clean up the mess of the hotel room and Bella's body thrums with a new life.

He made her. He _created_ her and she will do everything to make sure he never regrets it.

_**Everything I really need is standing here in front of me.**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Thanks to __**oOza**__ for playing the name game with me and for reading this over to make sure I didn't completely screw things up. Thanks also to **ahizelm** who gave me a hobby that canon Bella would excel in and for always encouraging me despite my memory lapses on love and thanks. Section headers are lyrics from "Right Before My Eyes" from Lestat the Musical; the story includes nothing of THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES._


	16. Bella Tries to Put Out

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 7  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Bella Tries to Put Out**  
_She learned how to embrace her final years as a human... And Edward wondered why he wanted to wait._

Edward watched Bella as they walked across the Dartmouth campus. He shook his head at her, amused by her stumbling, but slightly annoyed at the alcohol that tainted her scent. He shouldn't be annoyed though; he wanted her to enjoy college. He was the one who wanted her to prolong her human years and, after too much fighting on their honeymoon, she gave in and promised _one_ year at college.

He wasn't expecting her to embrace the alcoholic debauchery that occurred on Thursday nights.

They were on a path that led to the parking lot. It was past one in the morning and Bella had danced up to him – _danced up to him_ – at the party and told him she was ready to go. Now, she was twirling on the empty path with her arms spread out on either sides of her body. Her hair whipped around her with every circle and Edward had a sudden urge to kiss her.

She stopped suddenly. Her head tilted backwards and, when Edward stood behind her, he followed her gaze. Together, they stared at the lamp post until Edward spoke. "Love, what are we looking at?"

"Shhh," she shushed him. "It's really quiet out here." She spun to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He steadied her with large hands on her waist. "So we have to be quiet too."

Edward nodded. Then he winced when Bella let out a high-pitched squeal that was certainly _not_ quiet.

"OhmygodEdwardlook!" she said in one giant breath. She pulled away from him and sank to her knees beneath one of the lights. He followed her, wondering what she found this time. Last week, it had been a wet flower that she swore was from their wedding. The week before, she saw a piece of paper that she claimed was a gateway to another world. He still believed she inhaled too much of the marijuana smoke at the party that week.

A pen. Bella found a silver pen.

She began clicking it. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Again and again and again.

"Bella, what are you doing?" He humored his wife. She was too amusing when she was like this.

She whirled around again, her eyes wide, a look of panic on her face. "Edward, it's not working!"

"What's not working?" Edward's eyebrows lifted high on his forehead as he slid an arm around Bella's shoulders.

"This!" She thrust the pen in front of Edward's face, continuing to click it. The sound made Edward twitch a bit. "Edward!"

"I'm not following," he admitted. He began walking them down the path again toward his car. Maybe she'd pass out once she was buckled in. "The pen's not working?"

Her eyes widened even more. "It's not a pen!"

"It's not?"

"It's the Putter-Outer," she whispered. Her eyes darted around as though someone would try to steal it from her. "And it's not working, Edward! How will I get to Harry if it's not _dark_?"

"Harry?" he asked and then he shut his eyes.

Of course.

Bella had just seen the Harry Potter movies with Alice recently and had become obsessed with the franchise.

"Love," he began. He knew he needed to tread lightly lest Bella get so angry that she wouldn't even kiss him good-night like the time he bought her the wrong type of ice cream when she was... Well, during that time of the month. "Love, I think maybe Harry will be okay."

Tear sprang into her eyes. "No! No, he won't, Edward! His parents are _dead_ and not even dead like the living dead like vampires." She gasped and covered her mouth. "Not that you're dead, Edward, oh, because you're not, you're beautiful and sparkly in the sun and _alive_!"

"Mm-hmm." He tried not to laugh at how fast she talked, the way she stumbled over her words as she tried to reassure him. "I'm alive to you, I've got it."

They were at the car and Edward held the door open for Bella to slide in. She stayed standing, propping her arms on top of the open door. "Edward, you have to find him," she insisted. "His parents are dead and so is the black dog that was really his godfather and _he's all alone_." Her arm reached out and her fingers twisted in Edward's shirt. "Please, Edward, you have to do something. You can help him! _WE_ can help him!"

Edward nodded solemnly, the only thing he could do at the moment. "Okay, love, we'll help him, but let's go home first."

"He could be hurt by then," she argued.

"We'll need... provisions."

With a nod, Bella sat in the car and Edward shut the door, taking a moment to collect himself. A drunken Bella was always a handful and he wasn't sure what to expect when he got into the driver's seat.

She was asleep.

Three minutes hadn't even passed and Bella's head was leaning against the window. With careful movements so he wouldn't wake her up, Edward reached across her body and pulled the seatbelt over, clicking it into place. He moved her head so that it leaned back against the headrest and ran a finger down her cheek softly with a small smile.

As he drove with a CD playing low, Bella mumbled in her sleep like she always did. He listened closely.

"No, wrong spell," she murmured. "Don't be stupid. That won't work."

The campus was behind them, fading into the distance, and the trees became blurs as Edward drove faster toward the house they owned.

"Bella Potter... Beautiful Potter? Like pottery..."

The house wasn't far from campus and Edward pulled into the driveway within minutes.

"Malfoy!" she said in a louder tone. "Bella Malfoy. No, he's evil. But redeemable. But EVIL!"

He got out of the car and moved quickly to the passenger side. He took Bella out and smiled as she curled into his chest when he picked her up.

"Wingardium Leviosa? Mmm... Floating now..."

The bed was comfortable and the blanket was warm. "Edward?" she mumbled. "'m getting married?"

Edward situated himself on top of the covers and wrapped an arm around Bella's body. "I think I like you as Bella Cullen," he whispered in her ear.

She giggled in her sleep and let out a tiny hiccup. Edward wrinkled his nose at the smell of vodka and berries. "Bella Cullen," she repeated and Edward moved closer again. "I like that."

* * *

_Sometimes, we just need a bit of silliness in our lives. Thanks to __**daisy3853**__ for telling me that I really should write this, to __**oOza**__ and __**IzzyHeartsRob**__ for laughing with me as I wrote, and to all the HP fans out there who may or may not have dreamt about becoming a Malfoy... Or otherwise._


	17. First Date

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

**The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt #: 22  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**First Date**  
_She sort of lied._

When Edward asked Bella out, her eyes widened and she blurted out, "Yes! I love horror movies!"

That weekend, he bought two tickets, two medium Cokes, and a large bag of popcorn. The second the movie started, a girl was shot and blood sprayed over the bed. Bella felt sick and turned her face into Edward's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked lowly.

She looked up at him meekly. "I sort of hate scary things."

He looked shocked but slid an arm around her. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe." She snuggled into his embrace.

Later that night, she kissed him.

* * *

_Thanks to __**oOza**__ and __**Daisy3853**__ who took some time out to read this and check it over. You ladies are amazing._


	18. Slip

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 13  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

**Slip**  
_No one is perfect._

_

* * *

_

Alice sees it but not soon enough. Bella's decision is a last-minute one, one she didn't expect to make, and by the time I realize what I'm seeing in Alice's mind, it's too late for anyone to change a thing.

"_Go_," Alice urges in a hoarse whisper.

She doesn't need to tell me again. I dart past her, past the entire family, and follow the faint scent of my wife and child into the woods. They are on the other side of the forest, the part that is supposed to be clear of residential life. The trees blur past me.

It doesn't take long before I pick up Renesmee's thoughts, her worries about what transpired. She's old enough and smart enough to understand what happened but still young enough that she's calling out for me in her mind.

"I'm here," I say as I step into the small clearing. My eyes roam over the makeshift camping ground, cringing at the destruction that was, no doubt, caused by my wife.

"Daddy." I walk carefully toward Renesmee, whose brown eyes are focused on Bella. I fall to my knees next to the two of them and reach a hand out slowly.

"Don't." Bella's voice is low, pained, and I pause in my movements. She is frozen against the ground, on her knees, and her hair covers her face as she bows her head. In shame? Regret? Confusion? Hate? This is one of the times I fervently wish her mind was open to me.

"Bella, look at me, love, please."

She doesn't move. The back of her hands rest against her denim-clad thighs. She looks like a statue, _is_ a statue right now.

"Bella," I try again. "Please –"

"Please, just don't."

Her voice is strangled and I have no choice but to grant her this one reprieve for the time being. I stand up and look around. Renesmee's hand tugs on mine and I glance down to see her clinging to my leg. Without a second though, I reach down and pick her up, settle her over my waist, and together we stare.

Three.

There are three bodies, lifeless and cold surrounding Bella. They wear jeans and long-sleeved shirts and the two men wear tan-colored hunting vests. The woman, whose arms are spread on either side of her body, has a gash over her arm, a thin but deep wound that was not caused by Bella's teeth.

I crouch down next to her after setting Renesmee down. My fingers touch the ridged cut and I hiss when I realize _this_ is why Bella lost control, why she flew toward the trio without a thought. It's not the woman's fault but the cut makes me hate her for a brief moment.

She's the reason Bella won't even move right now.

The clothes are ripped and I can see the teeth marks and open tears on all three bodies. It looks like a deranged animal flew through the campsite and tore innocents apart but the lack of blood will raise suspicion.

My phone vibrates in my pocked and I snap it open when Alice's name appears. She already knows what is happening and tells me that Emmett is on his way to help me set up the scene. By the time we're done, the campers will be unidentifiable and the bloodless bodies will be a concern second only to finding the animals who might have done this atrocity.

"Do you hate me?" Bella whispers once I hang up the phone call.

In less than a second, I am kneeling beside her again, running a hand down her back. "No," I say forcefully. "I could never hate you." She _has_ to believe me.

Her head lifts and I can finally see her face again. She is still pale and beautiful, though a light tinge of red blossoms under her skin from the fresh blood in her body. Her lips are stained but I know that it is her eyes that will cause her the most aggravation if she sees it. They have settled from the black of hunger but the normally golden color has darkened to a shade of orange.

In a day or two, when the blood settles completely, they will turn bright crimson.

And Bella will hate herself.

Emmett arrives before either of us can say anything. I press a kiss on Bella's forehead and stand. Renesmee stays by her mother, holding her hand and telling her she loves her, while Emmett and I do our best to recreate an attack scene. Bella's eyes are on us the entire time. I don't acknowledge her for now, knowing she hates that we have to do this, and Emmett keeps silent as well. He knows, as well as I do, that the urge is sometimes too strong to fight.

When we finish, Emmett walks over to Bella, crouches down and he kisses the top of her head. "It will be okay," he whispers. "We all make mistakes sometimes. We still love you." She nods and Emmett stands up again. He claps a hand over my shoulder. "You want me to take the runt back to the main house?" he asks.

"Would you?" He nods and slings Renesmee over his shoulder while she complains that she is, in fact, _not_ a runt. "Thanks."

He gestures to Bella with his head. She is looking up at us but I have to wonder if she is listening to our conversation. "Take care of her, okay?" Before I answer, he turns and runs, trying to get Renesmee to laugh.

"Hey." I keep my voice low, partly because I don't want to startle Bella and partly because I'm afraid she'll hear the tremor in my tone if I speak any louder. I see the moment she zones in on me, see her eyes clear the tiniest bit. "Let's go home."

She takes the hand I hold out for her but, before I can take a step, her arms are around my waist and her face is buried in my chest. Her shoulders shake as though she's crying and I move my hands to the back of her head and the center of her back. We stand there, silent, until she lifts her head again. Her hands move to my face and her fingers drum an unsteady beat against my cheeks.

"Home," she repeats and nods. Wordlessly, I lift her up into my arms. She's as light as anything and, for once, she doesn't argue with my desire to take care of her. Arms around my shoulders and face buried in my neck, Bella just stays completely still. The only motion I ever feel is the fluttering of her lashes.

The cottage is quiet. With Renesmee at the main house, it's almost eerie, but I ignore the feeling and bring Bella to the bedroom. She stands still as I peel off the clothes that reek of dried blood and forest dirt; her hands move to help me get rid of my own clothes. We should shower but she laces our fingers together and tugs me toward the bed.

I am helpless to say or do otherwise.

Our bodies align once we are lying down. Sleep is never needed but the bed brings comfort to us, to Renesmee when she wakes up from dreams that are too vivid, too realistic. But it's Bella who needs the comfort now, the reassurance that a slip of control is not the end of the world. I pull her tighter against my body, smooth my palms down her back over and over until her eyes fall shut again.

"It happens to all of us, Bella," I say. She nods even though I'm not sure she really believes me. "What happened?" I dare to ask.

Her voice is muffled as she burrows into my side. "We were fine. I already hunted and we were playing. The scent came out of nowhere and so suddenly." Her body shudders and I pull her on top of me. "I didn't even realize what I was doing. It was so strong. I couldn't... I couldn't stop myself in time." Her head lifts again and I see the urgency in her eyes. "I didn't mean it, Edward, I swear. I didn't... I just..." Her voice drops to a whisper, "I killed them."

My eyes close briefly as I gently press on the back of her head so she lays it on my chest again. "We're all killers, love."

"They were innocent." Her words swirl over my naked chest. "They didn't stand a chance."

"It's going to be okay."

Sliding her body off of mine, Bella leans up on her elbows to look at me. The movement is so reminiscent of her human life that I feel a clenching in my hollow chest. My hand moves, on its own accord, to the side of her face. I trace the outline of her cheeks, smooth the pads of my fingers over her eyebrows, and settle the tip of my middle finger at the corner of her burning eyes.

"It's _going_ to be _okay_," I repeat, stressing the words I know she needs to hear.

She blinks rapidly. "Do you promise?" she asks softly and I am again reminded that she is still young in this life.

"Of course," I breathe. "Everything will be fine."

Her arms fold in against her chest like wings as she lies down on her side with my arm beneath her neck. When her eyes close, she looks like she's sleeping. For the first time in months, I wish that she still had that ability, if only because she wouldn't be harboring the guilt today has caused.

* * *

_Insane amounts of love and thanks to __**oOza**__ who, despite confusing me often, checks my words and grammar and inquires about the inner workings of my mind._


	19. Circles

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 20  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

**Circles**_  
Bella's waiting..._

_

* * *

_

"Pops, are we lost?"

Edward glanced in the rearview mirror at his son. A Disney sing-along DVD was repeating the same song but Edward didn't have the heart to ask him to change it.

"Of course not," he responded.

His son let out a huff that was reminiscent of Bella when she was aggravated. "Are you sure?"

"Well... Maybe," he conceded.

"You should call Mom. She's gonna be pis –"

"Don't even think about it, mister," Edward stopped him quickly.

"Mad. She's gonna be _mad_."

When Edward drove past a CVS for the fifth time, he sighed. "I think you're right."

* * *

_Thanks to __**Oscar519**__ for looking this over and giggling with me over "Pops" and for whom I thought of while writing this drabble._


	20. The Differences of a Similarity

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 24  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K+

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**The Differences of a Similarity**  
_They're more alike than they think but she knows who she chooses._

Both Edward and Jacob love her.

Jacob is warm and protective. He's young with an older physique. The pack's shared mind is a heavy burden.

Edward is cool, a breath of fresh air, also protective. His will always be 17 but he carries decades of experience. His mind is full of thoughts that he doesn't want.

They hate each other – the werewolf and the vampire – but they love her and want her to choose, _need_ her to choose.

There is no doubt in her mind who warms her heart. Even with the chill of his body, she belongs to Edward.

* * *

_Thanks to __**oOza**__ who looked this over and said it was fine for posting._


	21. Before and After

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 21  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: K+

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Before and After**  
_She's done much to change him._

Before Bella, he existed because he _had_ to, because he had no other choice. He had his family but there was always something missing, something he craved more than blood.

He wanted a reason for his life.

Then she appeared, stumbling into his world. Though he saw the uncertainty in her eyes, the look that said she wasn't worth it, he kissed her and made her believe otherwise.

Two years later, they run through the woods in search of a meal. She laughs loudly, the sound like chimes, and he chases her playfully.

They are flying.

Fast and free.

Together.

* * *

_Thank you, again, to __**oOza**__ who makes sure these things are presentable._


	22. Diotima's Ladder

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 6  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: M

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Diotima's Ladder**_  
In the safety of his apartment, she tries to find the meaning of love._

She stands by the wall of shelves. Her fingers are curled around the ladder placed there for the higher rows of books. Her body leans forward a bit as she reads the spines of the collection. Wearing only a thin, cotton button-down, the shape of her body can be seen clearly. Her curves are beautiful.

Slowly, her head turns to glance over her shoulder at the man lounging across the bed. "What are you staring at, sir?" she asks coyly. Edward doesn't answer her; he just lifts a corner of his mouth in a half-smile. Wanting an answer, she turns around completely. The buttons of the shirt are undone and his gaze drops to her bare chest.

Her laughter winds around the room, sounding like music.

"You're a vixen, Miss Swan," he murmurs. He turns his attention to the pages and pages of handwritten notes. Her writing is messy, a scrawled mixture of script and print, and he squints down at the tiny letters in the margin. "What's the thesis, itself, again?"

Her nose wrinkles and she turns back to the books. Her fingers run down the row until she pauses and slips a large paperback from the shelf. She pages through it as she walks back toward the bed. Her hair falls over her shoulders and, when she sits, Edward does as well and brushes her hair aside to stare at her profile.

"I'm trying," she begins a sentence but pauses when something in the book catches her eye. She reads, brings the book closer to her face for a moment, then lowers it to rest on the bed. Scrambling around, she searches until she finds a pen and begins taking notes on a blank piece of notebook paper.

Edward watches her as she works. It's cute, the way she sticks out her tongue a bit, curving it upwards to her top lip. One finger is tracing the lines of text in the book. Her head keeps moving back and forth between the text and her notes as she writes down all she can. Eyebrows draw in to the center while she concentrates and then she smiles widely, throwing down the pen when she is finished.

"Good?" he asks her.

"Oh!" She jumps slightly, as though she's forgotten that he is next to her. "I'm sorry," she apologizes. "You asked me something."

Leaning over, Edward kisses the space in front of her ear. "Just asking about your thesis," he repeats. His fingers tug down on the arm of his shirt that she's wearing. At the move, Bella lifts her shoulder, baring it to his mouth, silently asking him to taste her.

He gives in to her request, listening to her answer. "I'm trying to prove that complete and deep knowledge of beauty, as described by Plato, helps a single person nurture relationships with another human being." She leans back when she finishes speaking, watching Edward as he moves his lips down to her chest. His fingers peel back the shirt so that it's half-hanging off her arm.

"Tell me the stages," he whispers against her skin. The air from his mouth makes her shiver a bit.

One hand reaches up and holds his head against her chest. Her fingers scratch at his scalp when his mouth closes over a nipple, tugging gently with a pull of his teeth. "Edward, you're doing your Masters in Philosophy. You already know."

"Tell me," he says again with a lick to her heated skin.

She hums in appreciation when his nose skims down her ribcage. It tickles and causes tiny bumps to rise on her skin. "You could just... read... what I've written so far."

"Summarize it for me," he says. Teeth nip at the skin of her hip causing a squeal to erupt from Bella's lips. "Tell me, beautiful."

With a roll of her eyes, Bella tries to speak through the kisses Edward leaves on her waist, her stomach, her hips. "It starts with an individual appreciating a beautiful body. It's the most obvious form of love from a person who calls himself or herself _a lover_."

His eyes shine when he lifts his head from her stomach. Bella shifts her legs when his hands slide up and down her thighs, moving higher and higher with each pass. "And what, if I may ask, constitutes _a lover_?"

"Someone who," she gasps. Edward lowers his body between her legs, moves her knees to rest over his shoulders. The heels of her feet press against his back. "Someone who desires that which he does not have."

"Am I a lover, Isabella?"

Lifting her body, Bella looks down at the back of Edward's head, tries to steady herself by squeezing her thighs around his head. "You're getting off on this, aren't you?" she asks in a playfully accusing voice. "All this talk about love and who's who and what's what – it's getting you going."

The only response she receives is his tongue against her, tasting her, moving against her.

"Edward," she moans his name wantonly then flushes at the sound. He groans between her legs and the soft rumble shoots through her.

She wants to whimper when he lifts his head again. In the light that comes from various lamps, his lips are shiny, slick, and Bella groans when she realizes it's _her_ on his mouth. "The next step?"

"Are you serious?" she asks, almost in a whine, and Edward nods. His hand disappears beneath her body and, soon, she feels a single finger run up and down her center. Her hips lift and Edward immediately splays a hand over her stomach to hold her down. "Okay," she says shakily.

Edward presses his finger inside of her body and Bella loses her train of thought. Her head falls back, the ends of her hair brushing against her arms and hands that hold her body up. "Bella," he says lowly. "Continue."

"Once, once," she pants the words. "Once the lover finds love in another being and is able to examine that love, he or she –"

"_He_, Isabella," Edward says forcefully as a second finger joins the first in her body. "In this scenario, the lover is a _he_."

She swallows and continues. "Once the lover finds and examines the love he has for another, he'll realize that her beauty is unoriginal, that her beauty resides in every body... Oh God, Edward, please."

"I wonder about that sometimes," Edward says, almost conversationally, as his hands play her like a guitar, his fingers strumming her body into the rise and fall of a melodic creation. "Because I see others who are lovely, who are attractive, but then I saw you, walking across campus that day and you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I don't think anyone could compare to you."

His words are a spark and a balm, a comfort and a reason for discontent. It makes her want more but it also makes her want to shy away from the worship in his eyes, the love that is so prevalent.

Sensing the change in her body, Edward stills his hand and kisses her stomach, leaves a trail up her body to stop at her chest. "Don't be embarrassed. You're gorgeous."

"You're full of shit," but she says it with a smile in her voice.

Edward's body moves on top of hers, an aligning of their limbs, and he reaches a hand between them to flick the single button that is done on her shirt. The fabric slides away from her body while Edward goes to his knees and tucks them beneath Bella's thighs. He loves the way her body rearranges for him easily, without thought, like the two of them are fluid enough to be one being.

There is a moment of fumbling, though, when he reaches back to grab a condom, slides it on, but it's worth it when he slips into her body, a meeting of hard and soft. He will never get used to this, doesn't want to get used to it, and he leans down to Bella's neck when she lifts her hips to roll them against his.

"Mmm," Bella hums at the fullness inside of her. "Now I'm full of you."

He laughs, a loud and boisterous sound that bounces off the walls of his apartment. Arms wrap around his neck and hold him close again; he breathes in her scent, a mixture of a day's worth of perfume, salty sweat, and, under all of that, he inhales a scent that he knows came from his shirt that she wore.

"What's next, Bella?" he asks against the slowly dampening skin at the crook of her neck. He licks an invisible stripe up to the back of her ear where his mouth puckers and sucks at the sensitive point. "Tell me."

Bella slides her palms out to the side, loving the cool slide of his sheets beneath her touch, as she lowers herself down on the bed but away from his kisses. She likes it when they move together like this, slow and languid like the world outside doesn't exist, like maybe _they_ don't really exist and are just mere puppets for the greater universe. If they are, she is extremely grateful that they've been put together like this.

Her words are interspersed with jagged intakes of breath but she continues like he asked. "Once the lover realizes that beauty is present in every body, he looks for a deeper connection, one that will make a person stand out amidst the beauty that is found in everyone."

"You're repeating yourself." The words ghost over her skin, welcome bursts of air that create gooseflesh over her shoulders and across her collarbone. His hands slide down her sides, over the curves her hips, and beneath her thighs. Skimming down to her knees, he pushes up and out so that she is spread for him, and he watches the way he moves inside of her, fills her with slow thrusts. "You stood out to me. Do you know why?" Bella shakes her head and Edward pushes in deeply and pauses, lets her feel everything. "Follow the ladder, love."

"My soul," she gasps as he withdraws and slides in again, over and over until tingles start to spread through her body. "It's not enough to fall in love with the beauty of a body and he learns to love the soul."

"Yes," Edward lets out a hiss. "And what –"

"No more," Bella says clearly. She lifts her upper body back up, leans back on her hands, and Edward stares at the nearly perfect V her body makes before him. He pushes against her some more, testing her flexibility, and Bella merely moans at the stretch of her muscles, the pull of her limbs.

"Beautiful," he breathes.

And then there are only the harsh pants that escape from open mouths, the half-lidded eyes that stare at each other. Hands grasp at slick skin, twist in sheets that begin to come loose from the bed. Low moans and whispered names fill the air as their bodies push and pull, give and take, merge together and come apart at the seams.

Bella spirals into darkness as her hands scramble against the fabrics under her. This is what she wants, what she loves, and knows that Edward is the lover she's been waiting for her entire life.

Seconds pass into minutes before Bella blinks her eyes open and promptly rolls off the bed. Edward turns from where he sits on the floor. "Are you okay?" He's trying to hold back a grin but fails.

"Yes." She rolls her eyes and moves to her knees. "What are you doing?" she asks as she stands up, stepping over the sheets of paper that are, once again, spread in a semi-circle in front of Edward. "Are those my notes?"

"Mm-hmm," he hums his response. He slides the thin glasses off of his face and watches Bella as she makes her way to the bathroom, waiting until she reappears to continue. "I thought I'd make some notes."

"What kind of notes?" She plops down at his side, tucking her feet beneath her thighs to sit cross-legged, and leans her head on his shoulder. His writing is small and precise in the left margin – the only place Bella never writes.

Edward shrugs but hands her one of the papers. "I did a dissertation on the ladder in my first year of grad school and remembered a few things that you didn't already have."

Brown eyes scan his additions and she leans up to kiss his cheek. "This is great, Edward. Thank you." She pauses. "Do you mind if I work here for a bit? I'll buy you dinner."

"Stay as long as you want." He stands and stretches. "We'll order in."

He goes to his wall of books and slides a thick paperback from its place. He drops back down next to Bella but moves backwards until he hits the wall. Legs stretched in front of him, he opens the book and begins to read after he slips his glasses back on. Bella watches him for a moment before she smiles and turns back to her work.

She reads through books and encyclopedias and websites full of research and anecdotes. Her eyes begin to burn after a while and she breathes a sigh of relief when Edward stands, goes to the door, and returns with a paper bag of Chinese food. She's not sure when he called but the sight of shrimp fried rice and spicy shredded beef makes her want to kiss Edward in thanks.

So Bella does and he laughs at her before stuffing a piece of egg roll in her mouth.

Later, when they're too full to move, and Bella is wondering if that last dumpling was a good idea, Edward nudges her up toward his bed. She shakes her head, "I have work to do."

This time, it's Edward who laughs, because Bella is speaking too slowly as though her brain is lazy from all the grease. "C'mon, it'll still be there tomorrow and you have time."

She follows him and he leans against the back wall of his apartment before he pulls Bella in between his outstretched legs. The television blares to life in bright colors and loud sounds. Edward's arms loop over her shoulders and around her neck in a loose hold; Bella's hands rest on his knees. Hours later, after a movie and a half and moments spent laughing and kissing, they drift off.

* * *

_Thank you to __**Sara**__ who is (hopefully) back in business as my #1 beta, what with her brand new modem and all. She makes sure things makes sense._

_Diotima's ladder is, in fact, a philosophical topic and the three "rungs" that Bella describes are actual teachings. I'm not smart enough to make these things up. However, I've only ever taken two Philosophy courses in my life. One was an Intro course and the other was 'Philosophy and Death' so everything in this story pertaining to the subject was found on the Internet, which means it may not be 100% accurate. _


	23. Neverending Cycle

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 16  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Never-ending Cycle  
**_Without him, she feels nothing._

She wakes up, takes a shower, and throws on an outfit so she can drive to school.

From eight to three, she stares blankly at chalkboards. People try to talk to her but all she hears are mumbles.

She goes home, cooks for Charlie, eats dinner with him, then sits on the couch with blank eyes.

At night, she tosses and turns, screams herself awake. She stares at the ceiling until she drifts off again.

Hours later, she wakes up and repeats the cycle.

For months, she goes through the motions.

Without Edward, she believes that life is a waste.

* * *

_Thank you to __**Sara**__ for reading over this quickly and understanding why it matched the picture prompt._


	24. Beautifully Broken

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 18  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

* * *

**Beautifully Broken**  
_Their relationship used to be beautiful._

He watched her for weeks after seeing her again in the small bookstore. The rain sometimes misted against his coat but he needed to know she was okay, safe. He stood in an alley across from her apartment. The third window up, two over from the corner, was hers.

She did the same thing every morning. Still wrapped in a thick blanket, she walked to the window just as the sky began to lighten to a brand new day. Long, brown locks cascaded over her shoulders, messy but perfectly her. One hand - her right - always lifted to the window as though she was waiting for something to appear. Her fingers would curl slightly so that her palm dodged the cold pane of glass.

The sun began to rise and her eyes shut tightly. They remained closed until the heat of the now-risen sun warmed her face. Her eyes fluttered open again and she mouthed a single word. He never knew what she said, though; he only saw the flash of pain in her eyes before she turned away, back to what he knew was an empty apartment.

Day after day, she followed her routine until, three days before New Year's Eve, she was dressed at the window. The motions were the same but she was clothed and it made his mind flare with worst-case scenarios.

Twenty minutes after she disappeared from the frame of the window, she reappeared in the front door of the building, a suitcase behind her. His heart clenched and he ran across the street, stepping in the puddles that formed from an overnight rain.

"Bella!"

She froze at the sound of his voice. If she was being truthful, she expected this, expected him to return after the night he found her. If she was being honest, she wondered why it took him two weeks.

"Edward," she said his name in a tone that mixed hope and sorrow. "I should have known you'd be back."

His eyes zeroed in on the suitcase she held at a slant and the large duffel bag over a shoulder. "You're leaving." It was partly a statement, partly an accusation. "Why?"

Her breathing quickened, large inhales and exhales that only made her chest burn. "I came here to get away," she said quietly but firmly. "You know I'm here. I need to go." He took a step forward, moving into her space, and she backed away. The suitcase fell from the grip of her fingers and made a _thud_ against the floor.

"Why are you running?" Edward took another step forward. His hands shot out to grip her arms before she could move away. "You don't have to."

"Yes, I do." The words came out softly, barely a breath, but Edward heard them, loud and clear. He stayed silent, not knowing how to respond, but she lifted her eyes and continued. "You don't know what it's been like these past few months."

"Don't I?" His arms slid down her arms until he held her hands. "How can you say I don't know?"

She wrenched herself away from him, accusation in her eyes. "_You_ were the one that left, Edward; not me." Bella shook her head at him, disbelief marring the delicate lines of her face, and turned to bend down for her fallen suitcase. She stilled when it was upright again, unwilling to turn around again to face him.

Silence swirled around them. Bella couldn't think, couldn't speak, in fear that sobs would escape her mouth instead of words. Behind her, Edward stared at her back as he tried to make sense of the words that flew around in his mind. He knew he was the one to leave, the one who couldn't handle the relationship anymore, but he loved her. She had to know that.

"Why do you close your eyes when the sun rises?"

At the seemingly random question, Bella spun and stared at him. "What?"

Edward faltered. The question came out without thought but it was the one thing he felt he wanted – _needed_ – to know. He took a deep breath. "When the sun rises... Your eyes close just before the first light shines."

"You've been watching me?" The question was half accusing and half awed. He had always loved watching her. It once made her feel special.

"I wanted to know you were okay."

She gave a short laugh, one that lacked all traces of humor. "Okay... I'm not okay, Edward, not yet."

When she moved, Edward held out his hand, a gentle palming of her stomach. "Why?" he asked quietly.

Dipping her head, Bella took a long breath. "Do you remember," she began, "our trip to Hawaii?" Edward nodded; it had been one of their last vacations together. "We woke up really early the second to last day we were there. We woke up before the sun."

His fingers moved along her body until the tips of his fingers rested on a hip. "You wanted to watch the sunrise."

"We went out on the balcony to watch it but... You kept kissing me and making me..."

Edward remembered. He couldn't stop kissing her on her mouth, her neck, her shoulder. Her skin was smooth and tanned and he pretended she tasted like the sun. It hadn't stopped there.

"And then you were all over me," Bella whispered. Her eyes stared straight ahead and she refused to meet Edward's inquisitive stare. "And I could feel you everywhere and I wanted you."

"I wanted you, too," Edward admitted.

"You were behind me. You were... _in_ me and all I could do was say your name and ask for more."

The sun had started to rise, Edward recalled. The air grew considerably warmer, both from their movements against each other and the rays of light beginning to reach down to them.

"You told me to look up, to watch the sunrise, but all I could focus on was the way you felt in me and the way your mouth kept kissing me. And you said..."

Edward exhaled a long and harsh breath of air. "I said, 'Look, baby, it's beautiful. _You're_ beautiful.'"

Slowly, Bella slid her eyes to meet Edward's and she gave him a teary smile. "And I believed it. For once, I felt beautiful." She brought a hand to Edward's and pulled it away from her body. When she let go, she felt the loss immensely and wanted to take his hand again and hold it against her chest, against her heart, and say they belonged together. "I haven't been able to look at a sunrise since we broke up, Edward. I _can't_ look at it. It reminds me of things I no longer have."

A loud horn sounded; both Bella and Edward turned their heads to see a black sedan at the curb. A man stepped out of the driver's seat and walked up to them. "Miss Swan?"

Bella nodded. "Yes. Yes, that's me." She handed him the suitcase and the large duffel bag and watched silently as he stowed them in the trunk of the car. He opened the door to the backseat and stood, waiting for her. "I have to go."

"Bella." Her name sounded lovely in the tenor of his voice. She imagined she could hear all the emotions he once felt toward her and not the ones that drove them apart, not the ones that made him leave and caused her to seek solace in this city they once called home.

She lifted a hand to his face, traced the outline of his jaw. "Good-bye, Edward."

Before he could close his eyes and lean against her touch, she was gone. She disappeared into the car and it sped away.

Slowly – so slowly – he walked into the building and made his way to the third floor. The door was unlocked and he felt the apartment's emptiness as soon as he walked in. He shouldn't be there but he wanted to do one thing.

For hours, he stood at the window, the one that looked down onto the street. His right hand lay flat against the glass; he watched the watched the way the sky turned blue during the day and then faded into darker colors in the early evening.

The sun began to set.

And Edward closed his eyes.

* * *

_Thank you to __**Sara**__ and __**oOza**__ for looking this over and pointing out silly mistakes._


	25. Pas de Deux

SM owns all TWILIGHT characters. I merely borrow for amusement's sake.

* * *

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
Prompt #: 17  
Pen name: IngenueFic  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:  
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

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**Pas de Deux**_  
He is strong and perfect. She is lithe and beautiful. Together, they perform a duet that speaks volumes._

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**Bailatino  
**_A mix of Latin-styled dances where a partner is unnecessary_

On the first day of rehearsals, Bella Swan stepped into the room, breathed in deeply, and walked to the _barre_ that was set against a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. There were a few girls already there who smiled at her in a silent greeting before they went back to their stretching. As she stared out the window, Bella brought her arms up, reaching higher and higher with every breath until she could feel her muscles protest for a split second before the satisfying pull of the loosening in her limbs. Inhaling deeply, she arched her back slightly, then began leaning forward; the air left her lungs in slow intervals until she could feel the stretching at the backs of her thighs, the backs of her calves.

A pair of feet appeared to her left and a shot of annoyance pierced through her body at the close proximity. She stood back up, ready to request more room, when she saw who it was. Instead of the terse comment she was ready to make, Bella smiled. "Angela, hey."

There was a quick hug between the two girls who hadn't seen each other in almost two years. "I was so excited when I found out you got this job," Angela said as she zipped up her hoodie to keep warm while stretching. "When did you get in?"

"Last weekend?" It came out as a question at first, then Bella nodded before she repeated, "Yeah, last weekend. I've been unpacking and stuff since then."

"Where are you staying?" Angela paused mid-squat. "Please tell me you're not staying at one of the hotels."

"No," Bella said with a laugh. "I found a place, maybe, 20 minutes away? Small apartment but it'll do." She shrugged before lifting a foot to the _barre_. With a content groan, she leaned over her leg, dipping her head down to rest against her knee. A blast of laughter sounded from the doorway and she turned her face to see a group of guys walk in. She let out a sigh and dropped her foot back to the ground. "Hey," she called out softly to Angela who looked up from her position on the floor. "How much partnering do you think we'll be doing?"

Angela raised an eyebrow as her body unfolded to a standing position again. "Still scared of partnering?"

"No," Bella scoffed. "It's just not a preference. If it was, I would have stuck with ballroom." She was about to roll her eyes when _he_ walked in. "You've got to be kidding me," she said softly.

"What?" Angela looked over her shoulder, and when she looked back at Bella, had an almost apologetic look on her face. "Didn't you get the e-mail with list of the entire company?"

Bella shook her head. "I haven't checked e-mail since I moved here. It's not set up, yet." She blinked rapidly, shaking her head again. "I thought he was down in Miami."

"He _was_," Angela replied. "But that was a while ago, when we all left Forks. He did Celine's show when it was here and he usually helps the choreographers on _So You Think You Can Dance_ when it's Vegas Week." She shifted slightly. "Have you two talked since..."

"No." Bella's eyes followed him as he walked to a corner of the room and pulled his sweatshirt off, leaving him in black pants and a simple white t-shirt. Even from across the room, Bella could see the definition of muscles, could practically feel the way his limbs burned from stretching. His head turned slightly as though he knew he was being watched and Bella turned back to Angela. "No, we haven't."

The door opened again, this time allowing the trio of well-known choreographers into the room. Bella had worked with two of them before but had only ever seen Alice Brandon's work. The tiny dancer often worked with the music tours and had only settled in Las Vegas to choreograph the new shows popping up in the Strip hotels.

She wasted absolutely no time. "I hope you're all stretched," she said in a no-nonsense voice. "Partner up – I don't care who you choose because by the end of the day, I'll know exactly who's working with whom."

Angela turned to Bella and gave her a small smile. "See you later." Before she scurried off, Angela flinched, then gave Bella another weak smile.

"Isabella," the low voice said behind her.

She turned at the sound, tried to ignore the pounding of her blood from his presence. He looked different, more grown-up, more defined, more _everything_. He stared at her for a moment, waited for her to acknowledge him somehow, or for her to nod at his silent request to be her partner.

"Okay!" Alice's voice called out over the scattered couples. "This is what I want to see..."

Without a word, Bella turned to face the mirrors where Alice stood with an assistant, a boy who looked far younger than anyone else in the room. They began to move, showing the dancers what they wanted, and then Bella felt the slide of a palm over her waist.

"Edward," she breathed out his name.

He dipped his head down to her ear when he felt her body tensing. "Just dance."

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**Spotting**

_A fixing of the eyes on one spot for as long as possible while turning to avoid dizziness and to keep one's orientation_

There were toddlers all around Edward, screeching and laughing in their tiny pink leotards and pink tights. One of them knocked into him and, just as she was about to cry, Edward crouched his 14-year-old form down and smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded silently but her bottom lip was still trembling. "Did you just finish dancing?" She nodded again. "Was it your first one?"

"Uh-huh," she answered softly. "I liked it."

"Well, I'm sure you did great in it." He glanced around and saw a woman walking towards them. "Is that your mom?"

"Oh!" The little girl smiled widely. "Yes." She ran off before Edward could say another word.

"You're here early." Kate Garrison was one of the best dance instructors in all of Seattle and she had taken Edward into her teachings from the moment he had done his first _jétè_. "Any reason?"

He shook his head. "Mom had to do some extra work today so she dropped me off early. Is it okay if I watch some of the beginners' classes?"

"From above," Kate agreed. "A lot of them are shy, especially the girls, so I don't think they'd appreciate someone watching them."

"Thanks, Kate."

Minutes later, he was in one of the observation rooms on the second floor of the building. Below him, a group of dancers stood at the _barre_, girls at one end, boys at the other. He watched as they went through the basic warm-ups. Most of them really _were_ at a beginner's level. Even from where he was sitting, he could see the minute details that kept their bodies from performing a _plié_ correctly.

And then he saw her.

She stood at the very end of the _barre_ in tights and a slightly oversized sweatshirt that hung off of a shoulder. He was mesmerized by the strength that seemed to exude from her body. In precise timing with the soft music Edward could hear playing in the rehearsal room, she bent her knees into a _demi plié_, then a _grande plié_, her arms crooked at perfect angles.

"Her name is Isabella Swan." Kate stood next to him now in the observation room. Every now and then, she would watch the classes that took place in her studio, and had heard about the girl from Forks.

"She's very good." Though he was in awe of her movements, there was also a hint of wariness and uncertainty in Edward's voice.

Kate nodded. "She'll most likely be moved up to a higher level. She's taken classes before but insisted on doing this one first." There was a pause. "She's the best I've seen since you arrived, Edward."

Edward said nothing, instead opting to stare at the girl with her hair in a tight bun, and he wondered what her presence might mean for him.

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**Contraction**

_A movement involving the tightening of a particular group of muscles with the aid of inhalation and exhalation_

Bella stared unblinkingly at Alice, who was standing directly in front of her, by the mirrors. When the choreographer had told her and Edward the other day that she wanted a session for just the two of them, Bella never thought it would be for _this_.

The music started, a soft melody with the artist's voice floating over her, and she took small steps forward. Next to Alice, Jane marked the steps with Bella, making sure every count was done correctly. From the corner of her right eye, Bella could see Edward facing the windows behind her, his face turned towards her. She shivered slightly at the look in his eyes. He once stared at her with light eyes and love. Now, he practically stared through her.

The numbers in her head marked her cue and as soon as she counted off the first set of eight, Bella's body moved to the strums of a guitar. She barely thought of what she was doing, letting her memory guide her body. Her mind was focused on the music, on the weight she pressed down over her left foot, on the rise of her right leg into an arabesque. Her arms stretched into perfect lines from her shoulders until she spun to her right before dropping her upper body, lifting it slowly.

Edward's body heat was suddenly at her back. His hands ghosted over her shoulders for a split-second and then they were back-to-back, two statues defying each other. Once again staring directly at Alice, she saw the choreographer's eyebrows draw together in what could only be annoyance, but ignored it when she felt Edward's hand slide down her arm to lace their fingers together.

They turned towards each other.

"Stop." The music cut off immediately and Alice blinked at the couple. "Alec, Jane," she called to the assistants. "Center of the room. Edward, Bella, up here by me." The two couples changed places and Alice nodded at the couple on the floor. "I want you to do the sequence." She nodded at Edward and Bella. "You two – watch closely."

It was the third time today this had happened. Bella watched the two young dancers and shook her head, half in anger and half in confusion, when she still couldn't understand what she was doing wrong, what Edward was doing wrong. The steps matched and the counts aligned.

Alice stopped the music again, only a few counts after the opening movements and turned to Bella and Edward. "Well?"

Edward said nothing but it was obvious – to Bella, at least – that he was just as frustrated as she felt. She spoke up, "Alice, I'm sorry, but that's what we're doing. What are we missing?"

She pursed her lips together and stared at them again. "Again," she said as she pointed to the center of the floor. "This time, I want you to _watch_ yourselves in the mirror."

Keeping her temper in check, Bella moved back to her first position and waited for Edward to do the same. The music began and when Bella walked forward, she watched herself in the mirror, making sure her back was straight. Her gaze moved to Edward whose face was turned to her, his jaw tense with aggravation. As her body turned into the diagonal, so did her head, but Alice called out to her.

"Bella, _mirror_."

Immediately, she turned her face back to the mirror. Her body felt odd with the new position of her neck but she tried to focus on what she was seeing. Having the new direction caused a slight wobble to her steps but, for once, Alice didn't yell at her for it. Bella watched as Edward walked around her dancing form. His eyes were on her like he was watching.

_But he wasn't._

It clicked, then, in Bella's mind what was so wrong with the way they were dancing. She continued, turning farther away from Edward, dipping her body, and when she lifted up again, she could see the vacant expression in Edward's eyes as he stood behind her and lifted his hands to her shoulders. Her stomach muscles clenched tightly when they stood facing away from each other again. Edward's hand reached back to the crook of her elbow and, as Bella watched his palm slide down to her hand, she could see the tension in the joints of his fingers.

The music stopped as soon as their hands laced together.

Bella's mouth fell slightly open. The air moved in and out, in and out, until Edward let go of her hand and stood next to her, waiting. Alice, once again, stared at them and her face relaxed when she saw the understanding in Bella's eyes.

"You are two of the most talented dancers I've ever worked with," she said simply. She held up a hand when Edward opened his mouth to give his thanks. "But unless you can tell me a story with your body, with your expressions, with your _emotions_, all the talent in the world won't make this dance perfect."

Bella's head lowered until she could only see her toes flexing against the floor. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Missing marks, being off-balance, twisting the wrong way a fraction of an inch – those were the things she could handle messing up because they could be fixed. She could work on them and have it corrected easily.

Learning how to dance with Edward again, finding the natural ebb and flow with him, connecting with him on a level more dangerous than the perfection of dance – those were the things Bella wasn't sure she could accomplish.

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**Rosin**

_A by-product of turpentine in powdered form that dancers use on their shoes to prevent slipping_

They started dating when Bella was 16 and Edward was 17. It was a slow relationship, a careful meeting between two teenagers who could find understanding and comfort in each other. The need for more became apparent after weeks, after months, and then they weren't so careful because they knew what was happening.

It was a Saturday night, a night when most of Edward's friends were out partying, but that wasn't his scene, wasn't what he wanted to do. Instead, he was in his room, lying on his bed with Bella curled into his side. His parents were home but asleep; they trusted both of them, probably more than Edward thought they should but he wasn't going to complain.

"Hey," he said quietly because he wasn't sure if she was asleep. Her body shifted against his and she looked up at him. "Your shoulder still hurt from earlier?"

"'S okay," she responded quietly. "It should be fine in the morning."

Edward slid his arm out from beneath Bella's neck, rolling his eyes when she protested, but he sat up and lifted her with him. A noise of protest left the back of her throat and Edward shushed her, pressing his fingertips into her skin where her neck curved into her shoulder.

"Ouch." She couldn't help the complaint.

"Sorry, sorry," he whispered. He drew small circles on her skin until the whimpers stopped. "Better?" he asked.

"Mmm," was the only thing she could say in response to his question. Her body fell against his, her back against his chest, and Edward's arms slid beneath her arms so they curved up to hold her shoulders against him. She shifted her shoulders and he eased his hold until she leaned to one side and tilted her head to look at him.

The meeting of their lips wasn't gentle. It wasn't hard or rough either. It was a simple press of mouths, a taste of tongues, a sharing of breaths. It was a promise for more, for later, for when there was time.

Edward pulled away first, smiling when Bella moaned at the kiss ending, but he moved her to his side and slid down so he was lying down. She followed him and her leg wrapped around one of his in a small tangle that locked them together for the night. Inching closer to him, her breath hitched when she felt the hardness of his body and he shrugged at her with a small smile on his face.

"Edward," she said softly, coyly, with hope in her voice.

The skin of her waist was soft and warm beneath his palm. His eyes stayed on her face while his hand moved up, beneath the cotton of her shirt, and his fingers brushed against the small curves of her breast. She said his name again, this time in a low moan, and he couldn't help but grin widely now. A thumb made movements over her skin, circles that tightened with each rotation until Bella's back arched, pushing their bodies closer together.

"Soon," Edward promised, not wanting to cause more aches in her body than necessary.

"_Now_," she argued.

"Bella."

"_Now_," she repeated. She said it again and again until Edward couldn't deny what they both wanted.

His body was heated against hers. It wasn't long before there was no more fabric between them and then they moved against each other, each slide of skin making Bella more impatient but Edward wanted more than just a night of body against body, moan matching pants.

It was necessary that she _know_ what he wanted, _know_ that she was important, that she meant the world to him. He paused when she brought her knees up to flank his hips.

"Wait."

"Edward." Her eyes were shining up at him and perfect teeth bit into her lower lip. "Why are we waiting?"

"Just..." He took a deep breath and said the only thing he knew how to say. "Dancing is like breathing to me. It's what I love, it's what I _do_, it's everything."

Bella blinked up at him in confusion. "I know, Edward. It's like that for me too."

He transferred all his weight on one hand and trailed his other down the side of her face, over her collarbone, down past the curve of her breast, across her ribs. Bella tensed beneath him when his hand slid between them. He watched her face as he moved inside of her body and when her eyes shut tightly, he trailed his hand back up to rest beneath the pillow where her head lay.

"Bella," he said her name in a reverent whisper. Her eyes opened with the light sheen of tears that grabbed at Edward's heart. Leaning down, he brushed kisses at the corners of her eyes before he said lowly into her ear, "I'm dancing for you. Every time."

She gasped out his name. Later, when Edward felt himself spiraling out of control, he felt Bella's body around his, grounding him in a way only she could.

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**Degage**

_Shifting weight from one foot to the other_

His body was hard beneath her touch. Strong hands supported her – one at the small of her back, the other beneath her thigh as her leg curved over his waist. Her hands curved over his shoulders from the back, her arms hooked beneath his arms, as she rested a cheek on his shoulder.

The thrum of sensuality laced around them once the music began. Bella dragged her hands down his back, straightened her leg so that it was perpendicular to the ground. His hand ran down the length of her thigh until a beat in the song told him to crook her leg and then she spun away from him, one hand reaching out toward him, the other palm-out with her nails settled on her cheek.

"Okay, did you all _see _that?" The music cut off and Jasper Whitlock nodded at Bella and Demetri. "Did you see the way they moved together, the way they flowed into each other, right before the _snap_?" He didn't wait for anyone to respond. "_That_ is what I want from all of you. I don't care how well you know the choreography – and you better know it like the back of your hand – but I want to _feel_ the passion between the couples, want to know what you're arguing about during this number, when you forgive each other." He snapped his fingers. "I want to see the emotions on your faces, in every part of your bodies. Places!"

Bella went back to her original position against Demetri. She wasn't even supposed to be in this number but one of the dancers had an accident and she was the only one _not_ in the dance that knew ballroom. Though it was admittedly helpful to have a partner in Demetri, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was going to happen, something _bad_.

They worked for four hours on the same number. During breaks, Demetri made her laugh, regaling her with stories of the time between their first meeting and the present day. Bella's heart tugged inside her chest at his happiness, wished that she could give him the same type of stories.

When they danced, it felt natural, like she belonged in his arms, at least for the four minutes of song. Both Jasper and Tanya kept pointing them out as an example when something in particular caused them to stop the music. By the end of the rehearsal, Bella was dripping with sweat and she just wanted to shower and fall asleep.

"It was lovely dancing with you again, Bella," Demetri said to her with a smile as they gathered their things and walked out of the room. "It's been a while."

Bella's smile was wide and happy. "Well, I'm here until Irina's back on her feet." She paused before shrugging. "Literally, even." Before she could continue or nudge Demetri away for laughing at her, a voice cut into their conversation.

"Isabella, a word?"

Turning her head, Bella caught the gaze Edward was giving her, and nodded. She said a quick good-bye to Demetri and walked over to Edward. Their communication had been spotty, at best, with most of their interactions happening just in the rehearsal room.

"I was... watching the ballroom rehearsal."

"Oh?" He began walking and Bella shuffled to keep up with him. When he didn't continue, Bella stopped before they could reach the parking lot and grabbed his arm. "What?"

His face was serious when he looked at her again but Bella saw something more. In his eyes, she saw a lost pain. "Why is it so easy with him?" he asked quietly.

"Who? Demetri?"

"It's always been easy with him for you," Edward continued. "Why? What does he have that I don't?"

And Bella remembered. "It was never what he had, Edward." His mouth dropped open a bit in a questioning silence. Bella swallowed the pain his question brought her. "It was what he was willing to give me."

O}-'-,- O}-'-,- O}-'-,-

**Canyengue**

_A playful and sensual dance of an incomparable experience_

She was here.

Finally.

After seven months of being on his own in Miami, Edward stood at the airport, and scanned the crowds for Bella's familiar face. Twenty minutes after he arrived, she broke through a family with three kids and ran toward him, flinging her arms around his neck when she got to him.

"Oh my God, I've missed you," she said while they hugged. Edward breathed in her scent. Beneath the staleness of plane air, she was everything he remembered from home. She pulled away and pecked his mouth quickly with her own. "Hi."

"Hey," he replied with a smile. They waited for her suitcase, side by side, with their arms wrapped around each other's backs. Bella's head still fit perfectly against his chest and she felt the rumble beneath her ear as Edward told her about the Company and what life had been like since he left the Northwest.

She lifted her head suddenly. "Oh! That's mine!" She tried to reach for the bag – so did Edward – but it passed by. "Oops."

"Here, I got it," a voice said. A young man grabbed it and dragged it over to where the couple stood. "I hate when that happens."

Bella thanked him and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. Her eyes narrowed. "You were on the plane with that huge group," she said. Her eyes lit up. "I talked to one of you about dancing!"

He smiled. "You're a dancer?"

"Yes. We both are." Bella tilted her head up so she could look at Edward.

The other man held out a hand. "Demetri Afanasi," he introduced.

Bella gasped. "Oh my God, you're the dancer everyone's been talking about in Seattle!" Demetri's mouth curled up into a shy smile. "I've heard so much about you." She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm Bella. This is –"

"Her boyfriend," Edward cut in smoothly, causing Bella to nudge him in the ribs.

"Well, hello Bella and Bella's boyfriend." Demetri's name was called and he turned to see a group of people waving him over to them. "That's my group. It was nice meeting you both." He gave a final wave and left.

Once he was gone, Bella bumped her hip into Edward's. "Possessive, much?"

Edward took the suitcase from her hand and began rolling it behind him as he led her out of the airport. He kissed the side of her head just as the Florida heat hit them. "Can you blame me?"

They walked out to the car that Edward borrowed from his roommate. With the top down and the wind turning Bella's hair into a mussed-up nest of brown, they laughed and held hands over the gearshift.

That night, that Thursday, was the last time they really spend time together.

Edward had rehearsal and classes all day on Friday. Bella knew about it so she was more than happy to spend the morning and afternoon sunning on the hot sands of the beach just a few minutes from Edward's apartment. In the afternoon, she slid into a simple black dress and took a cab to the theater where Edward was performing in a student exhibition.

He was beautiful and stood out, at least to Bella, who couldn't keep her eyes off of his tall, lithe frame for the entirety of his number. After, she hugged him and kissed him and he promptly fell asleep from exhaustion.

On Saturday, Edward received a phone call that required him to be an impromptu rehearsal. When he hung up the call, he stared down at Bella, at the way her lashes lay against her cheeks, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath. He left her in his bed, pressing a kiss to her cheek and leaving a note taped on the bathroom mirror.

The rehearsal lasted longer than he expected. Dread bubbled in his stomach at the thought of Bella angry at him for leaving her to fend for herself in a city she didn't know. Their time was limited too; she'd be leaving tomorrow afternoon and he had barely seen her.

Later, when the sun was beginning a slow descent, he sent Bella a text message and groaned when he realized she was on the other side of town. He managed to grab a cab and, after paying more than he wanted to, got out and stood in front of a lively restaurant. It was crowded and the familiar staccato beats of Latin music poured through the open doors and windows. He held the gym bag that held his dance essentials tightly in his hand.

She was there, near the edge of the small dance floor, laughing with the dancer they'd met at the airport – Demetri. Their hips moved to the beat of the music and Bella threw her head back and laughed. Edward knew it was impossible with the volume but he imagined he could hear the melody of her laughter. Demetri leaned down and said something to her; she nodded in response after a moment of hesitation, then his hands grasped her waist and pulled her in closer to his body. His vision clouded at the comfortable way the two of them moved. Making his way over to them quickly, he called out Bella's name. She turned at the sound of his voice with a wide smile.

"You made it!" she said happily, stepping away from Demetri and throwing her arms around Edward's neck. He just stood there and she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You ready to go?" he asked stiffly.

She blinked up at him. "What? You just got here." She reached out and grabbed his hand to tug him closer. "Come dance with me."

Edward glanced over at Demetri who looked uncomfortable. "Hey, Bella, I'm gonna go back to my table." He gave her a smile. "Think about what I said, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." She gave him a parting smile before she turned her attention back to Edward. His body practically vibrated in anger. "What's wrong with you?" she asked again.

"What he said? What are you thinking about?"

Her eyes narrowed. "He told me about some Latin dance instructors he knew in Seattle and I really don't appreciate the accusing tone right now."

With a sigh, Edward lifted a hand and pushed his hair back away from his face. "I'm sorry... I just... I'm tired and I want to spend time with you and seeing the two of you..."

Bella cut him off by covering his mouth with her hand. "You should know better than to say something like that." Edward's eyes calmed and he nodded so she could remove her hand. "Come on – just _one_ dance," she requested.

"I've been dancing all day," he reminded her in a complaint.

"Yeah but not with _me_." She said it softly.

A tremor of annoyance shivered down Edward's spine. "You weren't dancing with me, either, or have you forgotten your new partner?"

His emotions ricocheted off of her. "Well, that wasn't exactly my choice, was it? It's not like you were around."

Her words were sharp but even Edward could hear the hurt that lay beneath. Though he wanted to apologize, he couldn't help but feel the sting of her words. This was his life. She should know what that was like more than anyone else.

"Well, that wasn't exactly my choice either, was it?" he shot back. He ran a hand through his hair for a second time. "Jesus, Bella, you know what rehearsals and classes are like. I can't just drop everything when you're here."

She let out a sound of disbelief. "We _planned_ this weekend, Edward. You didn't _have_ anything scheduled."

They were causing a ruckus in the small restaurant and bar. A crowd began to gather around them in a circle. From the corner of his eye, Edward saw Demetri watching them with a frown on his face.

"Things come up," he said tightly. "You know that."

"And this is the first time I've seen you in seven months."

Anger at himself and annoyance at the way she called him out bubbled beneath his skin. "So what?" The words were coming out of his mouth fast, like he couldn't stop his thoughts from emerging. "You want me to choose between seeing you and my career? My life?"

"What?" she asked incredulously before shaking her head. "You can't be serious right now." Bella glanced around and noticed the crowd's attention. "Forget it, let's just go, Edward."

She made her way through the crowd, not bothering to check if Edward was following, but the hand that grabbed her arm once she was back outside was warm and familiar. "Bella, stop, wait." She stopped walking but didn't turn around. A soft thud sounded when Edward dropped his bag onto the sidewalk and his arms pulled her back against his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm just... It's different now."

Bella hung her head and stared at their feet, his larger ones just slightly behind hers.

Yes. Everything was different.

O}-'-,- O}-'-,- O}-'-,-

**Fouette**

_A turning step, usually done in a series, in which the working leg whips out to the side in and then into the knee as the dancer turns on the supporting leg, rising onto the point at each revolution_

The weeks passed. Opening night was approaching fast and Bella wanted nothing more than to soak in a tub of ice to help her aching muscles and bruises. In addition to the normal rehearsals, she and Edward had worked on their partner piece for fear that Alice would pull them at the last minute.

It would be unusual but, according to dancers who had worked with the choreographer in the past, it wasn't unheard of.

She had gone out to dinner with Edward. She had invited him to join her for lunch at her apartment one Sunday and he had taken her to breakfast after a morning rehearsal. In her mind, Bella believed she was spending time with him because they needed to find a connection, one that would make the audiences believe their emotions and pain while dancing. Her heart, however, kept screaming at her, kept telling her that she would have her heart broken again.

But it worked.

Jane and Alec no longer had to perform the routine two times in the middle of a rehearsal for them. Alice actually smiled and nodded, though Bella thought maybe it was just a grimace and an exasperated tilt of the chin. The tension between them dissipated slowly, like tendrils of smoke being released from a cigarette.

They were remembering how to dance together.

Bella stared at him, one night, after a grueling rehearsal. Her feet hurt and she flexed her big toe when she felt a small blister on its side. The tightening and release of her skin around it helped her focus but then Edward had straightened up after searching through his bag for a sweatshirt and she lost all sense of thought.

He had always been fit, had always had the lines of muscle down and across his back, but the years had been good to him, more than they would have been to other men. She watched him stretch his arms up above his head, followed the tight cords up to where his fingers laced, and let out a shaky breath.

"You okay?" He didn't turn to look at her when he asked. When no answer was given, Edward turned with furrowed brows. "You're not cooling down?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'm gonna stay for a bit," she said. "Maybe do the routine a couple more times before I head home."

Edward frowned as he lifted his foot backwards, bending his leg at the knee to stretch out his muscles. "You want me to stay and do it with you again?" Everyone else had left 45 minutes earlier but the two of them had stayed to work on the more intricate jumps and lifts of the numbers. Part of it was because Bella had a slight fear that Edward would drop her; she thought it was most likely a psychological issue.

"No," she shook her head with her response. "No, don't worry about it. I won't be long anyway."

"You sure?" he prodded as he switched legs. "I don't mind. We can get some food after if you want."

It was tempting but Bella wanted to be alone. There were times she felt the need to _just be_ and now was one of those times. With the first technical rehearsal happening that upcoming weekend, she needed to force herself to focus some more.

"I'll be okay. Thanks, though."

Edward nodded and pulled on his sweatshirt. The nights were starting to become cooler and he didn't want to get sick right before a show. "Give me a call if you need me, okay?"

Bella nodded and walked slowly to the center of the room. She stood there with her eyes closed and breathed in and out, in and out, until her mind slowly emptied itself of worries and useless thoughts. Just as she was about to slip into what she liked to call her "dance zone," Edward's hands were on her shoulders. Her eyes shot open.

"I still haven't said this since we started rehearsals, but..."

She tilted her head. While she wanted to know what he was talking about, she also just wanted to lose herself in the silence of the room.

"I'm sorry."

The pain was evident in his apology and she turned to look up at him. "For what?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

His hands slid up to cup her face but it wasn't as intimate as Bella would have thought, would have wanted. "For Miami," he explained quietly. "I know that weekend was..."

"Don't," she stopped him. "Please don't."

"Bella –"

"Edward," she said his name firmly and waited until their eyes met. "It was a long time ago. Things have changed and... these past few weeks have been great." She gave a small laugh. "I don't hate you anymore, okay?"

A thumb brushed over her bottom lip and _there_ was the intimacy that Bella had secretly craved for two weeks now.

"I never hated you, Isabella," he told her. He stepped away and gave her a smile. "Gimme a call if you want to do dinner when you're done."

She opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I don't... I don't know how long I'll be."

"I'll wait." He gave her one last wave before leaving the studio.

With Edward gone and his apology still on her mind, Bella suddenly found the silence of the studio unbearable. She wanted the solitude, needed to embrace the sense of being alone, but it was too much for her now. A minute or two fiddling with the sound system in the corner and the room was filled with the familiar song of her partnering routine with Edward. She should have been sick of it by now but it soothed her.

She moved to the center of the room and marked the steps. Her body screamed at her to stop but she pushed herself just that little bit more. She needed the stretch and pull, needed the familiarity of everything she did, even if her partner was missing. Hopping lightly on the balls of her feet, she imagined Edward's hands grabbing her as she jumped, saving her from a potential fall.

On and on she went, sliding against the floor, lifting her arms up, extending a leg though Edward wasn't there to lift her into the air. She wished she had asked him to stay. From memory, she recalled the way they had always moved against each other as though they were extensions of each other, a fluid wave of precision and emotion.

The song changed but she kept going, repeating the dance even when it no longer matched the music. She wanted it ingrained in her mind, in her body. Beads of sweat formed at her hairline to create tracks down the side of her face as the minutes passed. Still, she continued.

Her eyes fell shut but her body kept moving. She didn't need to see herself in the mirror; she would only pick out the mistakes, the imperfections of the moves and her own body. The songs kept changing and still she went.

The sudden clamping of hands on her arms shocked her. Her eyes flew open again and Edward was there, staring at her while she breathed heavily. They didn't speak but his hand moved to her neck where his fingers slid against her slick skin. He said her name quietly, almost another apology, and she shut her eyes.

They stood there, together, unmoving. At some point, tears mixed in with Bella's sweat, but with Edward's forehead against her, she wasn't sure who was crying.

O}-'-,- O}-'-,- O}-'-,-

**Ballon**

_The ability of a dancer to remain suspended in air during a jump; elasticity in jumping_

He missed her. Months had passed since her visit and they slowly grew apart. Edward knew it was partly his fault. That weekend had been the turning point and now, he missed her phone calls, her texts, her e-mails, _everything_ about her. Rehearsals and classes continued, the way he knew they would, but it wasn't the same. It felt like part of him was missing.

After hours, the studios were usually empty, though principal dancers who wanted to rehearse just a little bit more occupied a few of the rooms. The woman at the front desk smiled at him when he asked if there was a small rehearsal room available. She gave him a room number and he walked down the hall of the first floor, pausing briefly when he caught sight of Rosalie in one of the rooms. He smiled fondly at her; she was a brilliant dancer but her heart wasn't in it as much as it should be. It was like she was living someone else's dream.

The room was dark and Edward didn't bother to turn on the overhead lighting. He stared into the emptiness of the room, the spotless mirrors and clean floors. He relished in the quietness and the peace of the room. He took a deep breath but the room hadn't been aired out since the maintenance workers had cleaned so all he got was a lungful of cleaning smells.

He left his sneakers by the door and pulled off his socks. He wasn't dressed in his normal ballet gear and the gray fabric of loose sweats hung over his foot; it slid across the floor over his heel as he walked barefoot across the room. He wasn't sure what was in the CD player and he had forgotten his iPod in the car so he pressed play and let himself get lost.

His mind cleared slowly. For the time being, he didn't think about what his parents or Bella were doing across the country, if they were even thinking about him. He didn't care if his left foot wasn't turned the correct way or if he forgot to spot himself as he turned. The stern voices of instructors faded away along with images of dance partners who couldn't be bothered to _try_ a new way of lifting.

In that very moment, all Edward cared about, all he _felt_ was the beat of his heart, the steps of his feet, and the pattern of his breath. There was no set sequence of movements anymore, just free motions that made him feel free. When the song faded away, he stopped to stare at himself in the mirror, where he saw a tired and disheveled young man who had no idea what was important anymore.

Another song began, a sweet ballad that counted off in beats of four. He merely listened at first and, when the chorus began, Edward picked up his right foot and brought it to his left knee. He turned once before he let the chords stream through his veins. Every note, each beat, found a place in his body and pulled him to the right moves. Fluidity took over. His arms wrapped around himself before they became a balance to a set of ballet steps he strung together on a whim. The female voice on the song, full of melancholy, called out to him, bring each turn, each jump, each slide closer to his heart.

The song changed again and Edward eased into the more staccato movements of jazz. His feet carried him across the floor and he couldn't help but smile at how he suddenly felt like he was in a musical. His arm reached out as though there was someone waiting for him.

He wished she was still waiting for him.

Coming to a standstill, Edward dropped his head and felt the light shifting of his shirt against his skin as he breathed harshly. He stood there while the song continued playing, stood there until it changed yet again, this time to an even slower melody that consisted of a piano and a single voice. Without thought, he brought his arms up in front of him, bending his elbows at precise angles, and imagined Bella in front of him.

The song was perfect for a waltz.

He slid a foot against the floor, lowering his body slightly before rising back up when he brought his other foot to meet the first. With an invisible partner, he glided across the studio to the soft notes, losing himself more and more to the music.

This was his escape. His muscles began to ache but he welcomed the feeling, knowing that few people would understand his need for the pain that came with dancing. This was his solace, the comfort he wanted. The notes themselves danced from the speakers and entered his body, sank into his skin to grant him the grace only a select number of people could actually comprehend.

He was lucky enough to be in the company of hundreds who knew what it was like to escape the world but there was only one person, one girl, he wanted to share his solitude with. He only hoped that, one day, she would be willing to share her own world with him again.

Until then, he let himself be carried away.

O}-'-,- O}-'-,- O}-'-,-

**Glissade**

_A gliding step, which usually connects two steps_

Excitement mixed in with nervousness was palpable in the air. The show was already half over and, while the audiences were more focused on the singer anyway, the dancers knew a single mistake could ruin everything.

Bella checked herself in one of the backstage mirrors. She smoothed non-existent wrinkles in the off-white dress, only looking up when she felt the familiar body of Edward stand next to her. Their eyes met in the mirror as Edward's hand hovered over her shoulder.

Things had been tense for the past two weeks. The breakdown – on both their parts – in the rehearsal studio caused an imbalance in their already precarious friendship. For an entire day following that night, Alice had berated them for the sudden lose of comfort and familiarity in dancing. They both shook themselves out of their stupor but Bella found herself wondering often if things would get better if she just _told_ him she missed the way they were together.

"You ready?" His voice cut into her thoughts and she noticed that his hand had, once again, fallen to his side. She couldn't help but stare at the muscular expanse of his chest, silently cursing the costume designers for putting the men in black pants and nothing else. When Bella didn't respond, he cleared his throat. "We should go wait in the wings. We have one song left."

"Right," she said softly with a nod.

Together, they stood in the wings of the stage with two other couples. Though she had done well for the entire show so far, this was the dance that made her shake, made her believe she could fail tonight. As though sensing her thoughts, Edward brought a hand to her waist and squeezed. She brought her opposite hand up to cover his so that her arm crossed over her stomach. Their fingers laced together and Bella shut her eyes and took comfort in the touch.

Edward dipped his head and his lips grazed the lobe of her ear. "Whatever happens," he said just as the lights on stage began to dim, "I'll catch you."

She turned her head quickly, his words shocking her into a frozen state, but the lights went out and Edward pushed her out onto the stage so she was in position before the song started.

It took a few minutes but, when the lights came back up, Bella and five other girls stood in various sections of the stage. From her perch on the second level, she could see everyone else, including the performer who was taking some time to speak to the audience.

As she began singing a cover of one of Bella's favorite songs, her body thrust itself into movement, and she was highly aware that Edward had entered the stage from the side. He walked around her as her body crouched and rose with the voice. When she and Edward stood back-to-back and his hand ghosted down her arm, she felt the difference in his touch immediately. Her breath hitched and, as their fingers laced, he squeezed in acknowledgement.

She remembered how, months ago, she had found herself saddened by the empty look in Edward's eyes as they looked at one another during this dance. Now, on a large stage in front of thousands of people, his eyes were bright and shining. More importantly, they were looking _at_ her, not through her like she once thought.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Edward turn and took a deep breath. Suddenly the words being sung – _you have suffered enough_ – made sense and propelled Bella forward and down toward Edward and the floor. His arms caught her perfectly, one hand around her waist, the other wrapping around her left thigh as she formed a diagonal across his body. Her ankles were crossed in the air and, from where her hand was wrapped around Edward's upper thigh, Bella felt the strength that held her suspended.

She dropped a foot so that her legs formed a straight line parallel to Edward's body. As he circled while holding her, he looked down, and their eyes met again. When his back was to the audience, Edward mouthed, "I know," and Bella wanted to cry because, even without an explanation, she knew what he meant.

They finished the turn and Bella curled her body into a ball in Edward's arms. She shook with emotion and didn't want to let go of him, not now, not when it was slowly becoming clear that the years apart, the months learning each other again, brought them to this point of clarity.

Her feet touched the ground again but she was still connected to him. His hand hooked around the circle of her arms for a moment and then he was holding her waist, putting her into the next position. She stood like a posed doll, facing forward with her knees bent and her arms out in front of her. Edward slid around her body from behind and stood back up between her arms. His mouth grazed her neck as he hugged her slightly and Bella felt the slight wetness of tears as his lashed blinked against her skin.

And then they were moving together, perfectly in synch with each other. Their right arms extended out to the audience before looping around behind them in a large circle. Bella couldn't keep the smile off of her face anymore. She could _feel_ the way Edward moved with her now. He _wanted_ to move with her; it wasn't just choreography.

It was moving too fast, this dance that suddenly paralleled their relationship. He lifted her up and she cycled through the air. He carried her as they rocked together. His palm pressed against her back, moving up and down, and Bella remembered late nights when he held her intimately. He set her down and she fell to a crouch, keeping a hold on his ankle until he burst away, needing freedom from her. As Edward spun in the air, Bella fell backwards to the floor. It was the point in their lives when they were alone, needing each other, but alone.

The jumps and partnering came even faster. There was so much happening and Bella let herself go, trusted Edward explicitly, hoping he wouldn't let her down again. Their bodies entwined and let go in a puzzling manner on the steady drumbeats of the song. The singer's voice soared and settled on their bodies and costumes and then Bella was holding on tightly to Edward's neck. Her body dangled from his as his hands lifted into the air, holding her up beneath her arms.

Edward breathed in deeply, closing his eyes as he brought his hands down to her hair and back. It was a soft caress as he walked in a semi-circle with her. He felt her knees bend before she dropped her feet back to the ground. The end of the number had Bella pushing away from him and he felt the anguish of the dance. He circled around her again, like he did in the beginning, and lifted her chin before sliding against her back. Only the singer's voice remained – no more drums, no more guitar.

Hands met and their bodies pulled away before they met again, an arm crossed over the other's body. He moved behind her again, wrapped his arms around her neck and chest. For the final few seconds, Bella was supposed to take his arms and remove them so she could walk away as the lights dimmed. Though her hands moved to his arms and she dragged them down and away, she didn't let go and she couldn't walk away from him.

The lights faded to black and they both ran backstage, thankful that they weren't dancing in the next number. Edward held Bella's hand tightly as he weaved his way through the dancers waiting to go on, held on until they were standing in the hallway behind the stage.

"Bella," he said her name hoarsely. Like that night, he brought a hand to her neck, put his forehead against hers. There was a small smile playing on his lips like he knew a secret.

Tears began to gather at the corners of Bella's eyes. This was the culmination of love and falling apart and finding each other and aches. "Edward," she breathed his name. Her hands came up to his neck as well, her fingers finding the line of his jaw while her thumbs brushed back and forth against his cheeks. "I've missed you."

* * *

_Thank you to __**oOza**__ and __**JosieSwan**__ for doing beta duties on this. Thanks also to __**Sara**__ who was unable to beta this completely but basically held my hand during dance discussions._

_The dance that Edward and Bella perform is one that was on SYTYCD Canada (I think it was Canada). You can see the dance in its entirety here: www . youtube . com/watch?v=og72_DQ4Elk_


End file.
